7 February 2006

Zimbabwe: Racism, discrimination against "mixed race (coloured)" and the availability of state protection (2004-2006)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

Various sources reported that there were between 22,176 (The Herald 22 Aug. 2005) and 25,000 individuals of (Encyclopedia of the Nations N.d.a) mixed race in Zimbabwe, who comprise, along with Asians, about one per cent of the total population (ibid. N.d.b.; US Jan. 2006).

In a January 2005 report on political injustice in Zimbabwe published by the South Africa-based Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), mixed race individuals were described as "'invisible minorities'," who have "suffered differing levels of discrimination," especially with regard to unequal access to government-controlled programs such as that for land ownership reform (24 Jan. 2005, 11). According to Edmund Monteiro, executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Mixed-Race Coloureds (NAAC), an organization mandated to promote mixed race rights (Kubatana 22 Jan. 2004), in addition to being ignored during the land reform process, mixed race persons have had limited access to employment, education, and health services (The Standard 23 Nov. 2003; see also NAAC 29 Oct. 2003).

In July 2005, The Zimbabwean reported that the historical exclusion of the mixed race community from "national political, social and economic participation and development," has yet to be addressed by media and non-governmental organizations (22 July 2005).

A study conducted by the NAAC showed that a major barrier limiting mixed race people's access to full participation in Zimbabwean society was their uncertain citizenship status (NAAC 29 Oct. 2003; The Standard 23 Nov. 2003; The Zimbabwean 22 July 2005). The Cape Times reported in March 2005 that the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2001, which prevents anyone whose parents were born outside Zimbabwe from holding Zimbabwean citizenship unless he or she gives up any claims to a second citizenship, has negatively affected many members of the mixed race community, as well as those of Indian ancestry, by imposing restrictions on their legal and civil status within the country (31 Mar. 2005). In particular, news sources of 2005 claimed that mixed race persons are "disproportionately affected by problems of statelessness as a result of citizenship legislation and other legalities covering national registration laws with respect to the '00' status appended to national registration identity cards" (The Zimbabwean 22 July 2005; Cape Times 31 Mar. 2005). Each national identity card contains a number, digits at the end of which indicate the district or area where the holder was born or from which he or she came (The Standard 23 Nov. 2003) and '00' reportedly signifies "alien status" or non-citizen (ibid.; The Zimbabwean 22 July 2005).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Cape Times [Cape Town]. 31 March 2005. "The Ghost Voters, The Exiles, The Non-Citizens." (South African Migration Project Website) [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

Encyclopedia of the Nations. N.d.a. "Zimbabwe - Migration." [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

____. N.d.b. "Zimbabwe - Ethnic Groups." [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

The Herald [Harare]. 22 August 2005. "Zim's Birth Rate Falls." (All Africa/Factiva)

Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR). 24 January 2005. Brian Raftopoulos. "Unreconciled Differences: The Limits of Reconciliation Politics in Zimbabwe." [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

Kubatana. 22 January 2004. "National Association for the Advancement of Mixed-Race Coloureds (NAAC)." (Google cache) [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

National Association for the Advancement of Mixed-race Coloureds (NAAC). 29 October 2003. Summary of the Baseline Study on the Situation of Coloured People in Zimbabwe. [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

The Standard [Harare]. 23 November 2003. Henry Makiwa. "NAAC Seeks Stake for Coloureds." [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

United States (US). January 2006. "Background Note: Zimbabwe." US Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs. [Accessed 9 Jan. 2006]

The Zimbabwean [Hythe, UK]. 22 July 2005. Angus B. Martens and Bertram D. Tabbett. [Accessed 20 Jan. 2006]

Additional Sources Consulted

Efforts to obtain information from the National Association for the Advancement of Mixed-race Coloureds (NAAC) were unsuccessful.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International, BBC News, Country Reports 2004, European Country of Origin Infromation Network (ECOI), Factiva, Freedom House, Kubatana, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists, Southern Africa Regional Poverty Network, United Kingdom Immigration and Nationality Directorate, United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), World News Connection, World Organization Against Torture (OMCT).