Hope for refugees as State of Disaster lifts

THE termination of the National State of Disaster is a light at the end of the tunnel for refugees and asylum seekers struggling with the online extension system implemented by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

Following the president’s announcement of the end of the national state of disaster last week, head of strategic litigation and advocacy at the UCT Refugee Rights clinic Sally Gandar said this was good news for refugees and asylum seekers as the termination would enable refugee reception offices (RROs) across the country to promptly resume the full services that were on halt for the past two years.

Despite the online renewal system that enabled refugees and asylum seekers to renew their documentation, the UCT Refugee Rights Clinic continued to see individuals daily who were experiencing issues with the system.

The lack of a full range of services at RROs became a concern as no new asylum applications were able to be lodged, as well as services for those whose documentation expired prior to the national state of disaster being declared. This created barriers for those trying to access rights and services, such as accessing bank accounts, traffic/vehicle registration services and in some incidences, employers insisted on a renewed document in order for the individual to continue working.

With challenges experienced, refugee status holder Alfonse Ilunga said to this day he is waiting for DHA to get back to him on his request for renewal.

“I sent my application for renewal since November last year. This has been a tough time for me and my family because my boss let me go in January this year due to this. I turned to the e-hailing business to put some food on the table.

“I know and understand that we are not South Africans, and will never be treated with the same dignity as a citizen, however I think it is important to remember that we are all Africans first before we are anything else.

“Such nonchalant efforts to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers are legalised in the country gives birth to the xenophobic fears and attacks we saw last week. The truth is, the people who suppose to give us the documentation that we need are staring at our emails, pleas, outcries and complaints and are not addressing it.”

“I really hope that the termination the national state of disaster can bear fruit, and that there could be a light at the end of tunnel for refugees and asylum seekers trying to make an honest living in South Africa,” said Ilunga.

Gandar said: “We welcome the termination of the national state of disaster, and hope that it will mean that all refugee reception centres across the country promptly resume a full suite of services. This will go a long way to ensuring asylum seekers and refugees can access effective protection and documentation in South Africa – which the government should be providing in terms of international law.

“We note that the civic services Home Affairs offices have been open to in-person services and mostly offer all services and have done so for many months even during the lockdown. It may also be prudent for the department to offer additional services or longer hours initially, as there may be some backlogs as a result of the closure of the offices for over two years.

“As there is likely a backlog in respect of new applicants as well as other services, we believe additional capacity and additional hours of service would be a useful way to start assisting persons who need services at RROs.

“We are aware that sometimes this could result in a systems overload at the Department – as has also been the case with civic Home Affairs at times – and so if there is a way to ensure that the systems are always online, and/ or that there is a formal document that can be issued immediately to persons seeking assistance at RROs, while waiting for other processes to take place, we would highly recommend that such contingency measures are implemented,” Gandar said.