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SA man gets asylum in Canada for being white
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| September 01 2009 at 07:28AM |
Get IOL on your mobile at m.iol.co.za |
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By Craig Mckune Canadian High Commission spokeswoman Valery Yiptong said on Monday night that the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) functioned much like the South African Home Affairs' sub-directorate for refugee affairs. Davis is a member of the board's refugee protection division. Huntley first travelled to Canada on a six-month work permit in 2004 and worked as a carnival attendant. He went back to Canada in 2005 and, after his work permit expired, he stayed on illegally until making his refugee claim in April last year. Huntley told the tribunal he had been called "a white dog" and "a settler" when attacked. He had not reported any of the attacks to the police because "the majority of them are South Africans and he did not trust them". Huntley also said he had been able to find employment only because of family connections. He was otherwise prohibited from finding work by the country's affirmative action policies. "Upon his return to South Africa (at the end of 2004), he knew that he could not survive there any more. He was constantly afraid and he knew there was no future from a security (and financial) point of view because of his skin colour", the decision said, noting Huntley's allegations. Testifying before the tribunal, Russell Kaplan's sister, Lara Kaplan, told how their brother Robert had been tortured and shot three times by a group of black South Africans who had broken into his home. Davis said he found Huntley a credible witness as his story was consistent and "plausible". Lara Kaplan's testimony enhanced and supported his claims that "persecution of white South Africans by African South Africans (is) a common event today in South Africa". Russell Kaplan, who moved from South Africa to Canada in 1989, called Davis's finding a "landmark case". But SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) chief executive Tseliso Thipanyane said unless the decision was endorsed by Canada's supreme court, it would not be considered a reflection of that country's position. "I find the finding rather odd, actually," he said last night. "The commission will not dispute the fact that there are white people who are attacked by black people on the basis of racism, but it also happens the other way round. "And the majority of victims of crime in the country are not white people." On the question of affirmative action, Thipanyane referred to a recent SAHRC survey that found that 61 percent of the top positions in companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange were occupied by white males. Kaplan said he had considered the prospect of bringing such an application before the IRB before meeting Huntley, but this had not seemed possible. "This was the case that I had been waiting for," he said. craig.mckune@inl.co.za
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COMMENTS CLOSED
Showing page 1 of 8 comment pages, 73 total comments
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
South Africa, like all other countries has its own problems, and everyone have their own rights and views depending on their perceptions. As patriots to our nation, we should help overcome the challenges we face by firstly keeping a positive mind-set and strive towards overcoming the problems. There are many so called 'white' South Africans, who love this country and will do everything for its success, likewise we have numerous talent in all other races: Black, Coloured and Indian. We made world history for our peaceful transition to a non-racial democracy in 1994. We still may be very far from it, but we should never lose sight of the goals set by prominenet leaders in our society who sacrificed their lives for this vision. Lets all work together in striving towards our common goals, and show the world what we're made of. For those who are not meant to be be part of this vision, no ones stopping you from flocking to 'greener pastures'. For all true South African patriots hang around 'Beauty is only in the eyes of the 'Beholder.
Billy
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
What a bizarre argument - get a life all racists! There a lot more good than bad people in South Africa. (no matter the color!!!!) All you need to do is live (with compassion to make things work) your life normally and mind your own business. The Afrikaans saying goes: Meng jou met die semels en die varke eet jou op. Proudly South African.
11 Weeks ago Neville Paynter wrote :
Canada is an incredibly beautiful country and there are many South Africans who now live there. I have visited Canada a few times and have delivered packs of Rooibos tea and bottles of Chutney. But I found the South Africans there are still longing for HOME. I know of some who have returned home. But the thing that really hit me was the safety. I stayed with Canadians in Windermere BC who went out during the day and never locked their door. I visited a shopping centre in Fernie, BC. I had a rented car. I dutifully closed the windows and locked the doors. It was a hot day and when I returned I unlocked the car and opened the windows to cool it down. While I waited I looked around and all the cars around me had their windows down, some with shopping on the seat, one with the keys in the ignition. How wonderful it would be if we could do this in our beautiful country..............
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
Crime is a major problem in south africa, whether you white , black or yellow it affects every one.Tougher laws should be put in place to fight this crime..zero tolerence for criminals.Despite all crime i feel south africa is still the most blessed country in the world in terms of natural disasters etc..i am a coloured,but i will never leave this country because this country and also cape town is a part of who i am and i am proud of that, so running away won't solve the problem..remember grass is not always greener on the other side..
11 Weeks ago Ty wrote :
The interesting fact is that more people have died through crime since 1994, which means the ANC is far worse than the apartheid government for human right abuses. Whites, coloureds and indians continue to contribute taxes for this country to run, and the majority keep labeling us colonists, racists, oppressors etc. God is with us and will bless us, even the famers they chased away in Zimbabwe have been given bigger and more productive land. God will be with us here to. Sorry for the ANC, but you cannot beat God.
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
Wow, wow! So we had to wait for Canada to confirm what we, as White South-Africans, put up with everyday. Just yesterday I was being hooted at incessantly and nearly forced off the road by a African Taxi Driver simply because I am a white, vulnerable female driving alone. Taxi Driver and fellow African passengers were laughing there heads off while I was put through this harrasment. I feel vindicated today - finaly proof that all is not well in our country.
11 Weeks ago DS wrote :
For those who think this story is "ridiculous" you have obviously not experienced violent crime on a number of occasions in our "Rainbow nation" like many of us have. Whites are fleeing violent crime and nothing else, we dont care who runs the show in SA as long as it is safe. I see us living behind bars with high fences, alarms, razor wire and too afraid to leave our homes, this is not a life people and it is certainly not normal! I dont want to live like this for the rest of my life, in a few years I am definitely moving on. This is not freedom and those who think all is well, you need your head read!
11 Weeks ago keith wrote :
“Don't hate the player hate the game” (Chris Rock)...Like Shaik and Zuma, Huntley has played the system and won. Kudos to him.
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
Actually, we whites are lucky the blacks don't do much worse things to us because of what our white apartheid system did to them for all those years. And as for you Maureen van Tonder, please go now. Can you leave today? I will help get you to the airport. While I think that BEE is just another form of racism, I still think whites have a better way of life here in SA than in so many other 'white' countries e.g. Poland, Czech Republic, Albania, etc. Lift up your heads people and get on with trying to live together....
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
I suspect IOL is run by white people. They publish mostly messages from people supporting the whites or bashing blacks. I think it is racist on its own. aargh. nxa!
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