ISSUE 01. VOLUME 1 | JANUARY- MARCH 2018 A MAGAZINE OF THE UN IN SOUTH AFRICA UN supports tracking of South Africa’s SDGs Progress UNHCR thrust into the “politics of crumbs” as efforts to integrate refugees resisted Deputy Secretary-General’s Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture CONTENTS Refugee agency thrust into the “politics of crumbs” as efforts to integrate refugees resisted Efforts to foster peaceful co-exis- tence and local integration of re- fugees in South Africa continue des- pite challenges of recurring violence 4 and discrimination 28 Deputy Secretary- South Africa Model UN General’s Mandela debates finals held in Annual Lecture Johannesburg Deputy Secretary-General Amina Debates kick-off amidst excitement Mohammed visited South Africa to and funfare. deliver the 15th Nelson Mandela An- nual Lecture 2017 at the invitation of 8 the Nelson Mandela Foundation. InFocus A magazine of the UN in South Africa ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Vol.1 Issue 1. January - March 2018 10 Young Swazis get some Publisher neighbourhood care from South Dr. Rufaro Chatora, Africa UN Resident Coordinator a.i. 11 Global action in the fight Editorial Advisory Board against human trafficking and Zeenat Abdool (UNIC) migrant smuggling in South Africa Markku Akimos (UNHCR) Ethel Maringa (RCO) 12 15 Public Health Association of Ziyanda Ngoma (UNFPA) UN support towards South Africa urged to promote Sudeshan Reddy (UNICEF) South Africa’s SDGs National Health Insurance Masimba Tafirenyika (UNIC) Baseline Report in 2017 Report will track progress in imple- 18 UN’s contribution to Editorial Team menting SDGs. development in South Africa UNIC Pretoria 22 Investments in family planning Design INTERVIEWS reinforces gender empowerment Paddy Ilos, II (Africa Renewal) 6 Lilly Meyer 23 Working towards attaining Acknowledgements UNICEF’s own Florence Nightingale human rights The Editorial Advisory Board would like to express it gratitude to the Africa Section of the Department of Public Information for its 14 Yahya Amadou Ba 24 Sports trainers empowered to assistance in the design and layout of the InFocus magazine. Deputy Country Director for UNDP South build risk resilience youth in South Africa Africa Front cover photo: UN Deputy Secretary- 20 Kazumi Ikeda-Larhed 26 South Africa marks 16 Days of General delivering the Nelson Mandela Annual Deputy Director of Partnerships and Activism with focus on preventing Lecture in Cape Town. Back cover photo: UN South-South Cooperation Division gender-based violence staff at a UN Day event. 2 INFOCUS EDITORIAL NOTE e are delighted to welcome you to the inaugural issue of InFocus, a magazine of the United Nations system in South Africa. Several UN agencies operating in this country publish their own inhouse publications. InFocus will highlight the work and operations of the W whole UN system in South Africa. In this inaugural issue, we have attempted to give readers a mix of stories covering a wide variety of some of the UN’s activities in this country, ranging from stories with a human interest, to stories on projects and activities by various agencies. We have not stopped there, but gone further and included articles on tech- nical issues such as the Strategic Cooperation Framework, formerly known as the UN Development Framework or UNDAF, a document that delves deep into the nitty-gritty of areas of cooperation between the UN and the Government of South Africa; and a piece on how the UN is implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. We have also included a section profiling new staff who have joined the organization. Your feedback on this and future issues is crucial. It helps us to improve our work. We hope you will find this publication informative on what the UN is doing in South Africa and the priorities on which we channel our efforts. JANUARY - MARCH 2018 3 Refugee agency thrust into the “politics of crumbs” as efforts to integrate refugees resisted Efforts to foster peaceful co-existence and local integration of refugees in South Africa continue despite challenges of recurring violence and discrimination By Pumla Rulashe Regugees returning to their communities in Inanda Township in Durban little over a month in Inanda and neighbouring locations police on the arrest of his brother’s killers after the fatal shooting up in arms, demanding the arrest of the and UNHCR, Seifu buries his grief deep of his young brother perpetrators. within and carries on with his life and his in their small shop in As the South African Police Services business. Durban’s Inanda town- (SAPS) acted quickly to stamp out the vio- The 37-year old, who was forced to flee ship, Ethiopian refu- lence that ensued, Ethiopian refugee com- Ethiopia in 2009 following his vocal politi- Agee Melaku Seifu*continues running his munity leader, Tsegaye Negesse* claims, cal views, has reinforced the exterior of his small township business, knowing that “this gave some of our local business shop—a shipping container—with mesh he cannot go on for much longer. Accord- competitors the opportunity to once again, steel fencing and other security features ing to his countrymen, he is a shell of his try and remove us from the townships.” as deterrents. He has also employed a former self. The ploy has succeeded where Seifu local resident of the township to continue Seifu’s brother Abraham fell victim is concerned. He is worn out and tired of running the shop. to unknown assailants shortly after fake being a victim of repeated harassment The fortress that has now become news circulated on social media in June and attack. Seifu’s shop and only source of income, 2017, alleging that foreign nationals were Seifu has approached UNHCR, the is symbolic of the love-hate relationship behind the abduction and trafficking of UN Refugee agency for assistance with refugees have with the communities children. The story had township youth resettlement. As he waits to hear from the they serve and the running battles they 4 INFOCUS endure with their South African business fierce competition against each other, on Protection Working Group led to the arrest counterparts. the periphery of the township economy. of some of the perpetrators. Ahmed* is another refugee who is as With support from other agencies and equally a victim of harassment as Seifu. A CULTURE OF DISCRIMINATION partners, the office conducted a compre- The difference between them though is AND VIOLENCE hensive needs assessment and supported that he has no intentions of leaving South “The unintended consequences of this close to 3 000 asylum-seekers and refu- Africa. The Somali refugee businessman commercial exercise on small-scale gees through legal and human rights inter- arrived in the country 16 years ago and family-run businesses has not only been ventions, counselling and social support. started out as a hawker, selling domestic consistent loss of revenue but the per- “Today, UNHCR and its NGO part- items door-to-door, seven days a week. petuation of the cycle of poverty in the ners monitor attacks against refugees by “I started business from zero wearing townships.” assessing situations based on information shoes worn down by walking the streets,” “On top of that,” he continues, “the received from our persons of concern. We he recalls. “I endured insult, injury and all- influx of refugees and foreign nationals look into the factors leading to violence weather conditions and today, I own a retail also competing for the crumbs from the and the challenges presenting problems warehouse and employ 60 people, a large table of multi-million-dollar retail indus- to integration. We also undertake incident number of them South African.” tries has created an environment where verification exercises to quantify and qual- the locals who are in the majority attack ify the number of refugee businesses and RISING YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT the minority who they feel pose a threat persons targeted, damaged or destroyed.” Before the violence that erupted in June, to their survival.” Ahmed owned five small shops in Kwa- “Xenophobia and a culture of discrimi- BROKERING PEACE Mashu, a township outside Durban and In the recent unrest in Durban, approxi- next to Inanda. Unlike Seifu, who has mately 45 refugee-owned businesses returned to rebuild his business, Ahmed in Inanda, KwaMashu and Chesterville has been advised against this as the townships were looted and destroyed. next time he comes under attack it could Through coordinated intervention have deadly consequences. I started my business involving the SAPS, ward councilors from The ominous warning has since kept from zero wearing affected sections within the townships, him out of KwaMashu and focused on his respected community elders, UNHCR and warehouse in Durban’s central business shoes worn down by its NGO partners, meet to broker peace district. walking the streets. I and iron out differences to enable refu- Accounts of refugee victimization and endured insult, injury gees to return back to the communities harassment in the competition for the usually yields the desired results. “crumbs of South Africa’s township econ- and all-weather The agency also encourages refugees omy,” is, according to William Zenzele, conditions and to insure their goods and the tools of their the President of the KwaZulu Natal Youth today, I own a retail trade such as electric clippers, combs, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, “an razor blades and capes to enable them to indication of the prolonged lack of eco- warehouse and re-stock small to get back on their feet. nomic development in many areas of the employ 60 people, a “UNHCR, is also very mindful of the country where crime is rife and unemploy- large number of them socio-economic challenges in these ment, particularly amongst the youth, is deprived communities which we are high.” South Africans.