Parliament, Saturday, 01 September 2018 – The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs will give a directive to the Minister of Home Affairs and Ministers within the security cluster to urgently find solutions to the criminal challenges that continue to manifest outside the Desmond Tutu Refugee Office in Pretoria.
The committee raised its concerns the last time it visited and it remains concerned that there are criminal elements still operating outside the Office. The committee visited the centre yesterday to assess progress made since the launch of the automated asylum system in 2017.
The committee was informed that the security situation around the precinct has not improved with allegations of syndicates operating with impunity. “It is unacceptable that the South African Police Service and metro police are alleged to be contributing to the challenges around the centre. It is also concerning that it is alleged that people are mugged in full view of police and nothing is done. We hope that the engagement at a ministerial level will assist in resolving the issue,” said Mr Hlomani Chauke, the Chairperson of the committee.
The committee continues to urge for harsher action against officials who are found to be colluding with syndicates to undermine the refugee system. One of the measures that must be implemented include lifestyle audits on officials within the environment.
Despite this challenge, the committee welcomes the impact of the automated system on the processing of applicants. “There seems to be a massive improvement in the process as a result of automating the system. The infusion of technology into the system should be strengthened even further to reinforce the current advances,” Mr Chauke emphasised.
The committee welcomes the collaboration between the department and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to deal with the Refugee Appeal Board backlogs and to ensure that impediments are removed. While the committee understands the challenges related to economic migrants clogging the appeal system, it is concerned that legitimate appeals are buried within the system. The department will be required to write to the Committee to give a detailed plan on how it is going to deal with the backlog.
The Committee remains of the view that the Immigration Services Inspectorate must be reinforced to effectively discharge their mandate. “It remains unacceptable that the department (nationally) has only about 700 employees within the inspectorate, a much lower number in comparison to international trends,” Mr Chauke said.
The challenges identified will be escalated to the security cluster level to ensure that a collaborative effort is implemented.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HOME AFFAIRS, MR HLOMANI CHAUKE
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