Africa Archives - Page 180 of 197

GIGABA LAUNCHES PAPERLESS SYSTEM AT MARABASTAD REFUGEE CENTRE Malusi Gigaba says ridding the application process of queues decreases chances of collusion and corruption.

JOHANNESBURG – Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says the introduction of a paperless system at the Marabastad refugee reception office will contribute towards eradicating corruption.

Gigaba conducted a tour of the office in Pretoria today where interventions are underway to improve the services provided to asylum seekers.

The office has been a cause of concern for years due to continued allegations of fraud and corruption, as well as human rights violations.

The Department of Home Affairs believes the introduction of automated systems at the Marabastad centre will eradicate long queues and other challenges they present.

Minister Gigaba says ridding the application process of queues decreases the chances of collusion and corruption.

“The proses of making online booking is going to exclude anybody from within the department who could, in the past, assist you to gain access to the centre.”

Last year, lobby group Lawyers for Human Rights released a report which detailed corruption at the centre where asylum seekers were forced to pay as many as four bribes just to have their paperwork finalised.

Now Gigaba says such human rights violations will be drastically decreased through the use of technology.

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South Africa

Malusi Gigaba was in Vryheid – June 10, 2016

The minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba visited AbaQulusi on Wednesday last week.

The minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba visited AbaQulusi on Wednesday last week.

The aim of the minister’s visit was to officially open both Vryheid’s Home Affairs, and the Thusong Centre in Emondlo.

Municipal officials including the mayor Cllr Patience Khaba were taken on an official tour around the recently opened Home Affairs offices and told about all the ways the department has upgraded their systems to ensure quick and efficient community service.

The department officials then headed down to Emondlo where the Thusong Centre was officially opened, before ending things at a big community Imbizo at the B Section Sports Ground in Emondlo.

Determined to bring better service to the people the, the Department of Home Affairs shared with the community members of Emondlo all the ways they plan to be more resourceful through various projects such as ‘Sukuma Sakhe’.

South Africa

Acquiring ID a challenge for disabled girl Her family says she has been sent from one office to another without getting any form of help, but only told to come with her father who is dead

12th June 2016

LIMPOPO – The death of her father has seemingly left a disabled Sedzani Musekwa (19) suffering as she had been unable to get her Identity Document from the Department of Home Affairs.

Sedzani, who suffers from multiple disabilities, was forced to drop out of school as she does not have an ID which she had been trying to apply for several years without success.

Her family says she has been sent from one office to another without getting any form of help, but only told to come with her father who is dead.

She currently stays with her siblings at Musekwa-Ngundu village in Vhembe.

The problems for Sedzani started in 2014 when her father passed away, leaving her with her biological mother, a Zimbabwean national, Grace Ndou, who has been in the country since 1970.

“I have done everything in my power to try and get my daughter an ID so that she can go back to school and apply for a disability grant,” says Ndou.

Her other elder siblings were fortunate enough as they were able to apply for their IDs when their father was still alive, Ndou explains.

Even Sedzani’s older brother, Fally Musekwa, says he has done all he could to assist her.

“I even went to the local traditional offices to obtain proof of residence and letters from her primary school, but even that is not enough for Home Affairs to issue my disabled sister her ID,” he says.

No comment was received from the Department of Home Affairs by the time of going to print.

For further information on South African immigration contact tracy@relocationafrica.com

South Africa

Asylum seekers win right to renew permits in Cape Town

Nomahlubi Jordaan | 03 June, 2016 15:57

Gavel. File Photo.
Image by: CARLOS JASSO / REUTERS

The Cape Town High Court on Friday ordered the Department of Home Affairs to renew asylum seeker permits of refugees whose applications it had refused because they initially applied at another refugee reception office.

This confirmed an order given previously in this matter‚ and extended the relief to all persons similarly situated.

“The respondents are directed to extend/renew forthwith at the Cape Town Temporary Refugee Facility‚ the asylum seeker permits of the individual asylum seekers listed… and of all similarly situated asylum seekers living in the Western Cape whose asylum seeker permits were originally obtained… for a period of no less than three months‚” the order states.

On April 28 last year‚ the Legal Resources Centre went to court on behalf of 450 people who had been refused renewals at the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office (CTRRO). An initial order was granted by the court on August 31‚ allowing for the renewal of the asylum seeker permits at the CTRRO.

“The sole reason that they were refused renewals was that their permits were first issued at an RRO (Refugee Reception Office) other than Cape Town. Other RROs‚ namely Durban‚ Musina or Pretoria‚ are many thousands of kilometres away from the place that these asylum seekers call home: Cape Town. Asylum seeker permits have to be renewed every three to six months.

“Thereafter‚ the matter was postponed for further argument regarding the specific request that the CTRRO should renew the permits of all asylum seekers similarly situated to that of the initial 450. The matter was postponed until November 2015‚” according to the Legal Resources Centre.

“Being forced to leave their homes and travel‚ often for more than a week‚ in order to renew their papers every few months‚ places asylum seekers in precarious positions.

“Many asylum seekers cannot afford the travel and accommodation costs incurred in securing the renewal of their papers. Others cannot take the time off work and their children have to miss school‚” Martens said.

For more information contact: tracy@relocationafrica.com