JESSICA ZUMA SAYS NGOs SHOULD GO TO THE MIGRANTS’ COUNTRIES AND FIX THE PROBLEMS THERE, INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING LAWS THAT PROTECT REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS IN SOUTH AFRICA. But let's have this conversation with facts. First, a refugee, an asylum seeker and an ordinary migrant are not the same thing. An asylum seeker is a person who has asked another country for protection because they believe it is unsafe for them to return home. Their claim still has to be assessed. A refugee is someone who meets the legal criteria for refugee protection. Why do these protections exist? Because history has shown that there are situations where a person's own government cannot or will not protect them from persecution, war, serious violence or other grave threats. That is also why human rights matter. Human rights are not created simply because someone is a citizen of a particular country. They are basic rights attached to human beings. However, that does NOT mean every foreigner has an automatic right to enter, remain in or receive every public benefit in South Africa. South Africa has a right to control its borders. It can enforce immigration laws. It can investigate asylum applications. It can reject fraudulent claims. It can prosecute criminals, regardless of nationality. And people who have no legal basis to remain can be removed according to the law. But that is completely different from saying there should be no legal protection for genuine refugees and asylum seekers. And here is another important point: an NGO cannot simply go into Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia, the DRC or any other sovereign country and “fix” its government. NGOs can provide humanitarian assistance, education, healthcare, legal support and advocacy. But governments remain responsible for governing their own countries. This is where international relations comes in. Countries are sovereign, but they don't operate in a vacuum. They enter treaties, cooperate with other countries and accept international responsibilities including responsibilities relating to refugees and human rights. So the debate should not be: “Foreigners versus South Africans.” It should be: Who genuinely needs protection? Who is abusing the system? Who is here legally? Who is here illegally? What does the law require? And how can South Africa protect its citizens while still honouring its obligations to people who genuinely need protection? We can demand stronger borders without abandoning human rights. We can fight illegal immigration without declaring every foreigner an enemy. And we can put South Africans first without pretending that every person seeking asylum is simply an economic migrant. Let's debate the system. Let's question government. Let's follow the money. But let's also understand what refugees and asylum seekers actually are before deciding that their legal protections should disappear. #JessicaZuma #Refugees #AsylumSeekers #HumanRights #InternationalRelations - @womenceo19