VOA标准英语2011-South Africa Delays Deportation of Zimbab

The South African government says it is extending its deadline for deporting¹ irregular Zimbabwean migrants until July 31. The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration² says it welcomes this extension and is ready to assist Zimbabweans who are forced to leave South Africa.

South Africa says the moratorium³ for deporting irregular migrants to Zimbabwe will be lifted on August 1st. It says this will give the migrants more time to gather the documents they need to legalize their status.

The extension of the moratorium also will give the Department of Home Affairs more time to process applications.

The South African government ran a campaign to regularize Zimbabwean migrants from September until the end of December.

The International Organization for Migration says it fears hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants could face deportation⁴ from South Africa.

IOM spokeswoman, Jemini Pandya, tells VOA there is an estimated 1.5 million Zimbabwean migrants in the country. But, fewer than 276,000 or about one-sixth of the irregular migrant population have applied⁵ for legal status.

"It is hard to know exactly why not more have actually applied," Pandya said. "It could also be because they simply did not manage to get the paper work that they needed in order to submit their applications because one of the things they also do need is a passport, a Zimbabwean passport. And, in Zimbabwe itself there is a backlog⁶ of passports that needed processing and the last I was aware was that at the start of this year there were no new passports being issued due to some technical issues."

Pandya says the reprieve⁷ on deportations will allow those migrants who have registered for the legalization program to get hold of the relevant paper work.

In preparation for the anticipated deportations, she says IOM and its partners are pre-positioning food and shelter supplies at reception centers at the Beitbridge and Plumtree border crossings in Zimbabwe.

"In the past, these reception centers provide not just shelter and food, but also medical assistance," she added. "Irregular migrants are often in poor health and need health care as well as information and advice and referral on HIV/AIDS assistance. And, finally, transport assistance for them to get back home...What happens when they are deported⁸, they are taken to the border and left at the border and very often people do not have the means to get back to their homes. What IOM will be doing is providing transport assistance to their final destinations for those who have no means."

As part of its humanitarian⁹ and protection assistance operation, Pandya says IOM is working to raise awareness¹⁰ among the police about the migrants' legal rights. She says the agency is informing police officials they are not to arrest or deport the migrants until the moratorium on deportations runs out at the end of July

1 deporting   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的现在分词 )；举止

参考例句：

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

4 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

5 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

6 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

7 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

8 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。