Department chided for neglecting refugees

THE Consortium for Refugees and Migrants of SA (Cormsa) yesterday accused the Department of Home Affairs of hypocrisy, saying while it wanted to increase the number of its contact centres it continued to close refugee reception offices.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2010, more asylum applications were lodged in SA than in any other country. Most of these were from nationals of Burundi, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and Zimbabwe.

The department’s treatment of foreign nationals continues to be the subject of scrutiny and criticism by human rights organisations. It is the subject of a South African Human Rights Commission probe into alleged abuses of immigration procedures.

Cormsa said while it welcomed the department’s drive to ensure that all South Africans have access to a home affairs office within 25km of their place of residence, it was disturbed that the department had not reopened the Maitland Refugee Reception Office in Cape Town.

The department closed the office due to a court order that found it to be a nuisance to local businesses, and because the lease was about to expire. This forced new applicants for asylum to travel to reception centres in other parts of SA. In July, the Cape Town High Court ordered the department to open the Maitland centre to newcomers. The department has appealed against the ruling and is awaiting a Supreme Court of Appeal decision.

Cormsa executive director Sicel’mpilo Shange-Buthane said it had become aware of a decision taken at the department’s infrastructure planning meeting on September 11 to increase public service and improve the accessibility by opening more contact centres. She said the department had ignored orders earlier this year and late last year to reopen its Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg offices.