Cape Town - The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) says a Syrian family seeking asylum in South Africa will be given no special treatment as they await the outcome of an appeal against being deported.
Omar Banian and his family are seeking an urgent intervention as their temporary asylum seeker permits expire in less than three weeks.
The department had dismissed their application after declaring that Syria is stable, and rejected claims that the family is fearing for their lives if they returned to their war-torn country.
Read: Syrian family’s asylum bid turned down
DHA spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete said on Tuesday the Banians would not be afforded any special treatment.
“All asylum seekers get special treatment in SA as the country regards itself as one of the most progressive countries when it came to asylum seekers,” he said.
Tshwete said the department had more than 72 000 people apply for refugee status last year. He assured that the Banian family would be able to remain in South Africa until the outcome of their appeal.
“There are many war-torn countries in the world, especially in Africa, so we cannot give special treatment to one family when we have so many other facing a similar situation,” Tshwete added.
Tshwete said the department would be investigating whether the DHA official who rejected Banian’s application for asylum was at fault.
Abdulah January, spokesperson for Banian – who cannot speak English – said although the family might not be facing imminent deportation, their lives had been inconvenienced because they have had to continuously travel to Pretoria to renew their permits.
January said Banian his daughters, Joudi, Rand and Shahd, and wife Reem, spent six months living in a small garage in Maitland after arriving in Cape Town on March 18 last year.
They are now living in Bo-Kaap after a German woman came to their aid.
Read: Capetonians open their hearts to refugees
The family reportedly escaped Damascus, selling their belongings and travelling to Cape Town after getting a tourist visa from the South African embassy in the Syrian capital. January said an Egyptian man connected the Banian family to the Moegammadiyah Mosque, which took them in and helped them seek asylum.
Advocate Mustaque Holland, who is advising the family, said: “The Banian family is not asking for any special treatment, only that they be given a fair hearing.”
Cape Times