Home Affairs urged to re-open refugee offices
The University of Cape Town’s Refugee Rights Unit has called on the Department of Home Affairs to re-open its refugee reception offices for first-time asylum applications. The unit appeared before the National Assembly’s Home Affairs Committee yesterday when it made a submission on the proposed amendments to the Immigration Bill.
Attorney at the Refugee Rights Unit, Popo Mfubu, said the re-opening of the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office for new asylum applications, would assist with the backlog of asylum applications, notes an IoL report.
‘The things we want changed with the system include opening of refugee offices; we don’t want undocumented people. People also don’t want to undocumented, it is not enjoyable to be detained,’ he added.
Home Affairs disregarded a court order last year, instructing it to re-open its refugee reception office in Cape Town by 31 March 2018.
Committee chairperson Hlomane Chauke said the committee would discuss the matters raised by the organisation with the department.
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