E/CN.4/1999/15/Add.1 page 14 Development Community (SADC) 6/. This may be explained by several factors: the long tradition (going back to the XIX century and strengthened during apartheid) of recruiting workers from Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana for temporary work in the mines and in agriculture, particularly on farms in Mpumalanga and Northern Province. Many remain illegally in South Africa, either with the connivance of their employers or by extending their stay after their temporary work permit has expired. A second factor is the geographical proximity of the countries mentioned, which share borders with South Africa. Ultimately, the determining factor is probably the difficult economic situation in some neighbouring countries, particularly Mozambique. 50. South Africans represent one-third of the population of the SADC member states and have a gross domestic product three times greater than the combined gross national product of all the other Community states. For example, the ratio of per capita income in South Africa to that in Mozambique is 1 to 40. A further factor is that the establishment of democracy after the 1994 elections further enhanced the image of the new South Africa as a promised land in the minds of potential immigrants. 51. Beyond its sub-region, South Africa has recently recorded the arrival of migrants from central and western Africa (Nigerians and nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo), and migrants from Eastern Europe (Bulgarians, Poles, Yugoslavs) and Asia (Chinese, Indians, Malays). South Africa is one of the favoured destinations for refugees from Angola, the Great Lakes region, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Liberia. 52. Both the public and the administration are unable to distinguish between migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and students. No specific legislation exists on the right to asylum, even though South Africa has ratified the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and that of the OAU. They are often likened to “economic refugees”, and thus to migrants. Refugees therefore do not receive adequate protection and, just like migrants without papers, fall victim to xenophobic acts committed by the public; some have been attacked and killed. 53. Before the recent arrival of refugees, the South African Government had signed an agreement in 1993 with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees granting refugee status to 120 000 Mozambicans previously regarded as illegal migrants. However, the UNHCR’s repatriation programme will return only 30 000 Mozambicans to their homes, the others preferring to remain in South Africa so as not to have to face the difficult economic and social situation in their country. 6/ Angola, Botswana, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.