S. Africa considers refugee permits

PRETORIA, South Africa, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The South African home affairs minister suggested Tuesday that refugees from Zimbabwe be given temporary residence permits.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said at a ministerial briefing that the government has no plans to set up camps for the people crossing the border, the South African Broadcasting Corp. reported. She said deporting those caught does no good because most are back within a few days.

Mapisa-Nqakula said creating camps would effectively keep the refugees in South Africa until there is a political solution in Zimbabwe.

“And yet the people who come in here would like to get a job, get some money and provide for their families,” she said. “A number of them go back on a monthly basis."

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe recently imposed price controls that have made the country’s already dire economic situation worse.

Also Tuesday, Alexander Downer, the Australian foreign affairs minister, urged South Africa to put pressure on Mugabe to hold free elections. Downer met with Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition, in Canberra.