South Africa, once the continent's pariah because of racial oppression, has become the favored destination for educated, ambitious refugees from other parts of Africa with political and economic problems. Many refugees eventually start their own businesses or find skilled jobs, though often not in the same line of work as in their home countries, and they are rarely a drain on public services. Two out of three asylum seekers here in 2003 had arrived since 2000, according to a U.N. survey. Most have come from Angola, Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Congo, as well as its smaller neighbor, the Republic of Congo.