Eritrean players granted asylum
Mbongeni Mguni | Thursday October 29, 2015 09:00
Yesterday evening, prominent lawyer, Dick Bayford told Mmegi that there had been official communication from the Ministry of Justice, Defence and Security to the effect that the players had been granted asylum.
“Our common position with the Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights is that we hail the position government has taken.
Government started on the wrong footing on this matter, but what’s important is that reason has prevailed,” he said.
Eritrea played against Botswana on October 13 in Francistown. After the match, immigration and government officials were informed that 10 players had refused to board their plane home and had been detained by police.
The Eritrean Movement for Democ- racy roped in local lawyers after Defence, Justice and Security minister, Shaw Kgathi told a local radio station that no consideration would be given for the players’ appeals for political asylum.
Kgathi told the radio station that the players had come into Botswana for football and thus had no standing to apply for asylum.
On October 17, the High Court in Gaborone granted Bayford, the Eritrean Movement and the players an interdict stating that the players could stay in Botswana while their cases were heard under Botswana’s asylum law.
Bayford said no further court processes were necessary as the decision to grant asylum had rendered pending litigation pointless.
“From what we have been told, the players will now be processed and moved to the Dukwi Refugee Camp...”, he said.