“[The department…] also rejected the recommendations contained in a memorandum proposing practical solutions to the problem,” said the not-for-profit organisation.
As a result of investigations into allegations of extortion, threats and bribery by government officials, Corruption Watch last week opened criminal cases at the Johannesburg Central Police station against three individuals implicated at Marabastad Refugee Reception office.
According to a 2015 UN High Commission for Refugees report, there are currently 3.2 million individuals awaiting decisions on asylum claims globally. And of these, South Africa has the highest number of pending asylum claims, with an astonishing 1 096 100 individuals waiting for their claims to be processed, the report said.
“This points to the lack of efficiency at the DHA in processing such claims. Since 2012, Corruption Watch has received 314 complaints of corruption relating to applications for asylum or refugee status and other immigration-related processes,” the report said.
The findings of the report show that 80% of these complaints involved refugee reception offices (RROs), which implicates home affairs officials, security guards, administrators and interpreters.
“About 17% [of complaints] implicated metro police and other SA Police Service officials, and 74% involved bribes demanded for issuing asylum and refugee permits,” the report states.
The NGO’s executive director, David Lewis, said: “The gatekeepers vary from the security guard who extracts R100 for allowing the refugee to literally enter the gate of the documentation centre, to the department of home affairs official who is custodian of that vital final stamp and whose fee is often measured in thousands of rands.”
Source
Expats and change fatigue
Expat burnout
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you, or your loved ones, may be suffering from expat burnout or, to use another phrase, change fatigue.
What is change fatigue?
The first thing you need to know is that this is a recognised condition of the human mind and you are not alone. The changes you need to make are not beyond your reach, youcan do this; moving to another country is an amazing opportunity and you are not a failure for sometimes thinking otherwise.
Change fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion, resignation and hopelessness and it happens when we’re bombarded with a series of changes in quick succession and don’t give ourselves the time or the space to make sense of them. Which is exactly what happens when we move abroad, because we just have to get on with things.
Change fatigue is commonly associated with businesses undergoing transitional periods and there is lots of material and advice out there for employees and managers – but what about when the problem is at home and your expat life situation?
Whether we’re talking about a new job, a new home, a new baby or even something as trivial as a new brand of washing powder, change is uncomfortable and as a species we tend to avoid it. We typically build our lives around routine and we feel most secure when our days are structured and invariable. So, by uprooting and moving to a whole other country, you have broken the mould a lot – good for you! Even the most adventurous expats can become fed-up and depressed by the constant pressure our day-to-day life puts upon us.
Now you must learn to change your mind set, embrace change and support those around you to do the same. Easy! (#noteasy)
How to conquer expat burnout
Everyone is different (my mantra!): For many people this expat exhaustion is something that will pass – it may be just another part of expat life we have to get through. Others may find themselves in the grip ofdepression. Expat depression is real and well documented online. Please seek medical help if you feel this sounds like your emotional state.
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Kenya: We Will Not Admit Foreign Students, Kenya School of Law Says
Beginning next year no foreign students will be admitted at the Kenya School of Law, a directive that has evoked flak from one of the affected countries.
Kenya School of Law Chief Executive Officer Patrick Lumumba said postgraduate students from Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda will no longer be accepted beginning January 2017.
Prof Lumumba, in an internal memo dated November 17, said the decision was made following a directive from the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
“We have received a letter dated October 25 from the Council of Legal Education informing us that non-Kenyans are not eligible for admission to the Advocates Training Programme (ATP) at the Kenya School of Law,” the memo reads.
“In light of the contents of the letter, non-Kenyans should stand informed that the admission committee has not considered their applications.”
CLE Chief Executive Officer Kulundu Bitonye said the decision was arrived at after noting an error in the procedure of admitting foreigners to the institution.
Source
Uganda: Qatar Offers Ugandans 40,000 Jobs
The government of the State of Qatar has offered 40,000 jobs to Ugandans beginning 2017, to participate in the 2022 World Cup preparations as well as raise the Ugandan population working there.
According to a press release issued by Uganda’s embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Qatar government announced the offer on Friday after a meeting between its minister of administrative development, labor and social affairs Dr. Eisa Saad Aljafali Al-Naimi and Hajjat Janat Balunzi Mukwaya, the minister of gender, labor and social development, at Qatar’s capital Doha.
“The ministers held preliminary discussions about the Uganda-Qatar bilateral labor framework and exchanged drafts of the proposed agreement for review before the signing ceremony expected in early 2017,” the release reads in part.
Source
Home affairs a corrupt hell for refugees
“[The department…] also rejected the recommendations contained in a memorandum proposing practical solutions to the problem,” said the not-for-profit organisation.
As a result of investigations into allegations of extortion, threats and bribery by government officials, Corruption Watch last week opened criminal cases at the Johannesburg Central Police station against three individuals implicated at Marabastad Refugee Reception office.
According to a 2015 UN High Commission for Refugees report, there are currently 3.2 million individuals awaiting decisions on asylum claims globally. And of these, South Africa has the highest number of pending asylum claims, with an astonishing 1 096 100 individuals waiting for their claims to be processed, the report said.
“This points to the lack of efficiency at the DHA in processing such claims. Since 2012, Corruption Watch has received 314 complaints of corruption relating to applications for asylum or refugee status and other immigration-related processes,” the report said.
The findings of the report show that 80% of these complaints involved refugee reception offices (RROs), which implicates home affairs officials, security guards, administrators and interpreters.
“About 17% [of complaints] implicated metro police and other SA Police Service officials, and 74% involved bribes demanded for issuing asylum and refugee permits,” the report states.
The NGO’s executive director, David Lewis, said: “The gatekeepers vary from the security guard who extracts R100 for allowing the refugee to literally enter the gate of the documentation centre, to the department of home affairs official who is custodian of that vital final stamp and whose fee is often measured in thousands of rands.”
Source