Pretoria - The sad story of how a Congolese refugee with an accounting degree, landed up in the streets of a city in South Africa after his family were gunned down in front of him in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has emerged in the High Court in Pretoria.
The man, who in terms of a court order may only be identified as DT, is embroiled in a struggle with the Department of Home Affairs to award him refugee status.
His application was turned down by the department, which concluded that his life would not be in danger if he returned to his country.
His subsequent internal appeal also failed, as he could not understand the language.
Neither was he aware that his questioning by officials was part of his appeal proceedings.
DT said he did not place all the facts before the department at the time, as he thought it was just an informal questioning.
The court has now ordered the department reconsider granting him refugee status after listening to his story.
DT had obtained his economy management degree in the DRC and lived a financially secure life with his family, as he headed a major bank at the time.
He also carried an elite position in an opposition party and actively participated in politics.
DT was part of a delegation that went under cover to a border region to investigate allegations that the government of the day supplied Rwandan and Burundi people with Congolese ID documents in an alleged attempt to gain their votes.
He was forced to flee after he was told that government officials were looking for him with the aim of arresting him.
When he was back at home, he realised that he was being followed, but did not pay much attention to it.
On December 20, 2004, he was relaxing at his home, while his family - wife, children and parents - were watching television. His father had meanwhile married a Rwandan citizen and they had two more children, who resembled their mother.
DT said the security guard who guarded their home, suddenly came running into the house, telling them armed men were looking for him.
“I climbed into the ceiling… I was later told that the armed men came into the house and interrogated my wife… They noticed my stepmother and brothers as being Tutsis (of Rwandan origin). They shot my stepmother and brothers on the spot and they died instantly.”
The men looked around for DT and told his wife they would be back to kill him. He managed to get a lift by hiding in the back of truck bound for South Africa.
His family later followed him.
He managed to obtain an asylum seeker’s permit but this lapsed every six months. His attempts to renew the permit failed and he was even detained at Lindela repatriation camp at some stage, where he was held for more than 120 days.
DT struggled to make ends meet and worked 14-hour shifts a day as a security guard in return for a pittance.
He could not afford rent and landed on the streets, while his wife and children stayed in a shelter.
DT told the court he believed if he told his full story Home Affairs would realise he could not return to the DRC and issue him with refugee status.
Pretoria News