Cape Town - Police used stun grenades to disperse a crowd at Customs House on the Foreshore on Tuesday after the building was stoned by frustrated immigrants
The temporary refugee reception centre housed in the building was closed soon after 11am as staff feared for their safety.
On Monday, security guards turned fire hoses on hundreds of waiting immigrants as a “crowd control measure”.
The refugee rights NGO Passop has been vocal in its condemnation of how Home Affairs has managed a sudden influx in the numbers of people queuing to sort out their documentation.
Many of the immigrants interviewed by the Cape Argus said they had been queuing for days, and in some cases through the night, in the hope that their asylum-seekers’ documents would be renewed before they expired.
The fine for an expired document is reportedly R2 500.
It also carries with it the threat of job losses, arrest and deportation.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, slammed the department on Tuesday for its inability to provide proper service, management and facilities to the waiting crowds.
Yusuf Simons, the department’s provincial manager, responded by saying that Customs House was an unsuitable, temporary facility that could not accommodate the sudden influx of people.
A large number of immigrants had arrived at the centre last Thursday after the department had sent out calls for those with outstanding asylum seekers’ applications to present themselves for processing.
Simons conceded that many of the centre’s staff had failed to come to work on .
Meanwhile, Passop is planning a march on the centre to protest against the poor service.
Passop’s director, Braam Hanekom called on Home Affairs staff to join the immigrants in protest.
“No one should have to work under these conditions, no one should have to face being treated like this.
“We should stand in solidarity against this crisis in management,” Hanekom said.
Cape Argus