Zimbabwe: Farm workers of foreign descent vulnerable to statelessness
Published: 15/Nov/2019
Source: Radio Voice of the People (Harare / Netherlands)
By Kenneth Matimaire
Senate deputy president, Retired Lieutenant General Mike Nyambuya said farm workers of foreign descent working within the country are vulnerable to the global challenge of statelessness.
Senator Nyambuya made the remarks in his keynote address during the Dialogue with Parliamentarians on Nationality and Statelessness in Zimbabwe held in Vumba recently.
His remarks came at the backdrop of a rising global challenge as an estimated 10 million people are considered stateless by the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR).
Nyambuya said Zimbabwe is not spared from the crisis though there is currently no country data to ascertain the challenge.
“As a country, we are not spared from this challenge of statelessness. There is first of all, an urgent need to avail country data on Statelessness because many Zimbabweans believe there are no stateless people in the country,” he said.
“Farm workers of foreign origin represent one of the most vulnerable groups in Zimbabwe. An estimated 30 percent of two million farm workers and their families are believed to be of foreign descent. Many were born in Zimbabwe but lack birth certificates or national identity cards,” Sen Nyambuya added.
Read further: http://www.radiovop.com/farm-workers-of-foreign-descent-vulnerable-to-statelessness/