Cape Town - A group of asylum-seekers and refugees, dressed in traditional regalia, rolled out a red carpet as part of their demonstration outside Parliament. They demanded that Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi reopen all refugee reception offices in the country.
The offices were closed when the lockdown started in 2020, but the Cape Town offices shut down to new applications for asylum in 2012.
The demonstrators also demanded that Motsoaledi open up, clear and effective channels of communication with civil society organisations and resolve problems raised timeously; and also adhere to domestic, regional, and international legal obligations towards asylum-seekers and refugees.
Human Rights Media Centre refugee rights programme officer Epiphanie Mukasano said the closure of the offices, initially, was understandable but with the resumption of other public services it was unfathomable that they were still closed, two years later.
“While the department says it has in the meantime introduced an online system of renewing documents for asylum-seekers and refugees, many have struggled to have their documents extended through the system.
“Many other people are not covered by the online system, including the ones who have family joining, and those that want to register students. In addition, extensions only apply to those whose visas expired during the lockdown, and new asylum applications cannot be processed,” she said.
Whole World Women Association founder and director Mary Tal said Home Affairs caused illegal immigrants to exist in South Africa and lack of documentation further exacerbated violence against them.
“Asylum-seeking is a human right and if I have to seek asylum and be rejected, I want to be allowed to choose another country to go to. I don’t want to be in limbo and not be assisted. In Cape Town it will be 10 years since the reception offices were closed, meaning every refugee that came to Cape Town 10 years ago is supposedly illegal,” she said.
Tal said South Africa allowed refugees to seek asylum and should therefore honour international, domestic and regional laws.
“South Africa has a refugee and immigration law that assists refugees to legalise themselves in this country, so we don’t want a situation where the government is assisting criminality. When people flee, they go to where they find the first safe place, far away from conflict, to rebuild their lives where they can work and can support their families,” Tal said.
He said protection and safety for asylum-seekers and refugees was not a luxury.