5
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
As this brief report has shown, violence and torture are affecting the next generation of
Zimbabweans and those who are at the prime of their lives. Young Zimbabweans in their 20s
and 30s are being exposed to both physical and psychological torture, exemplified by the high
scores on the SRQ8. In this regard, the findings from this brief report generally confirm previous
findings by human rights organizations regarding the nature of the violence and torture in
Zimbabwe, as well as the heavy involvement of government-related entities in the administration
of torture.
Even though this report analyses a relatively small sample of Zimbabweans who are presently in
South Africa, it is nonetheless indicative of the sorts of problems and difficulties that other
Zimbabweans living in South Africa are likely to be experiencing, especially in the face of
ongoing reports of violence and torture and increasing numbers of Zimbabweans claiming
asylum in South Africa. In particular, the study highlights the numbers of people who are
probably experiencing psychological/psychiatric disturbances but who are not receiving
psychosocial support to cope with the trauma experienced.
Keeping in mind the high levels of trauma that Zimbabweans are experiencing, and their founded
bases for asylum claims, it is unacceptable that they are being exposed to greater levels of trauma
by being unable to easily access the asylum determination procedure in South Africa or to access
employment as a result of not being issued with official documents or with documents that are
mostly unrecognized by employers and service providers. As the world commemorates World
Refugee Day, it is imperative that the South African government be true to its human rights
commitments, enshrined in its Constitution and international conventions to which it is signatory,
and that it expedite access to the asylum determination procedure for Zimbabweans. To obey its
own laws, South Africa should grant asylum to genuine cases of Zimbabwean torture victims. In
doing so, the South African government should openly and publicly recognize that there is a
political crisis in Zimbabwe, where thousands of Zimbabweans are becoming victims of
organized violence and torture and seeking refuge in South Africa.
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