Botswana closes out Zimbabwean refugees

Botswana is moving towards closing out Zimbabwean nationals who will be seeking refugee status in the future, the APA news agency reported on Monday. 

Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Ramadeluka Seretse is quoted claiming the political environment in Zimbabwe is safer for them to stay in their country.

In the future we are likely to see a situation where Zimbabwean nationals will not be given refugee status Seretse said.

He stated that most of them were given asylum status during Zimbabwe’s political crisis which led to people fleeing the country.

He said that currently the situation has improved and dismissed any chances of Zimbabweans being given refugee status when quizzed on whether their economic condition would not guarantee them a chance to be considered.

Seretse said that Botswana currently only gives status to refugees due to political crisis. Botswana does not consider economic situation as a criteria to give an individual an asylum status, he explained.

Botswana has since informed some refugees from Zimbabwe that the government intends to repatriate more than 200 of them.