The spokesperson said it would have been 'courteous for the Canadian government to allow the South African government to respond to these claims'.

African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi was quoted as saying that 'Canada's reasoning for granting Huntley refugee status can only serve to perpetuate racism'.

The case assumes significance as the current Canadian immigration and refugee system is virtually broken, with more than 60,000 refugee cases pending before the immigration panel.

Each case takes years and costs Canadian taxpayers about $30,000.

Canadian taxpayers also pay millions of dollars each year for the upkeep of refugees and their families.

Critics blame the previous Liberal party governments for opening the floodgates for refugees, putting unbearable burden on the system and taxpayers.