And this week\u201a their South African affiliate\u201a Oxfam SA\u201a wrote to Zuma urging him to publicly condemn the US president\u2019s executive order that will prevent thousands of refugees and migrants\u201a many of them African\u201a from finding safety in the USA.
The order has also barred citizens of Iran\u201a Iraq\u201a Libya\u201a Somalia\u201a Sudan\u201a Syria and Yemen entry to America. Oxfam has called on the order to be rescinded
Isaac Mangena\u201a Oxfam SA spokesman\u201a said the organisation had not as yet received an acknowledgement or a response\u201a but the pressure on the US government will continue.
\u201cCurrently we are planning to join with other civil society organisations and come up with a programme. This will probably include pickets outside the US embassy and all international airports\u201a\u00a0\u00bb he said.
Oxfam launched its Stand As One campaign in June last year to challenge the public worldwide to stand in solidarity with people forced to flee\u201a and to pressure governments around the globe to do more to assist refugees.
In a statement\u201a Oxfam SA has called for collective action and for \u201cresponsibility sharing\u201a for respect for refugee rights and for the right to flee conflict countries are under serious threat
\u201cWe also urge South Africa to use its influence and presence at multilateral bodies such as the United Nations\u201a to call for action against the US government.\u201d
Oxfam South Africa is the first African affiliate of Oxfam International.
There are 65.3 million people forcibly displaced worldwide. South Africa currently hosts about 1\u201a217\u201a708 refugees and migrants.<\/p>\n