By Vivian Attwood
A group of men from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) alleged that fellow asylum-seekers were brokering deals whereby applicants were fast-tracked to obtain residence status papers that enabled them to live and work in the province.
According to Rajen Aiyer, head of the Durban organised crime unit, the unit had been investigating cases of corruption involving Home Affairs for the past seven years, and the alleged scams took many forms.
"With the vast influx into our country of foreign nationals, all of whom are desperate for asylum and the ability to live and work here, we find that there is a lot of exploitation," Aiyer said.
"The refugees and asylum seekers have to stand in queues for long periods, and understandably become frustrated. Because they are gullible and not aware of how things work, they get drawn into scams by people who promise to make the process easier.
"Language barriers mean they are sometimes scammed by their own people. Not, I would like to stress, necessarily people from the DRC. They could be from anywhere."
The Department of Home Affairs is taking the men's allegations seriously as part of its attempt to stamp out corruption within its ranks.
One of the complainants, who told the Daily News he was "very sad and unhappy that vulnerable people were being exploited by their own countrymen, who should understand their suffering", said that in his experience the Che Guevara (Moore) Road branch of the home affairs department was "a seat of corruption".
He alleged that officials within the department were in cahoots with "voluntary" translators, who told refugees they could "sort out their residency status" for bribes ranging from R800 to R2 000. If they could not afford the bribe, said the source, there were other ways to work off the debt.
"Women are told that if they offer their bodies, they will get the papers. This is inexcusable, because most of them have already been through trauma, including rape, in the strife-torn countries they fled from."
The accepted policy for refugees is first to apply for a temporary residence permit.
Once this has been issued, the merits of their application are investigated, and they are interviewed by home affairs officials.
If successful in their application, and having passed screening, they are granted a so-called "status" paper, which permits them to work or study in their adopted home.
After five to six years, provided that they are model citizens, they become eligible to apply for permanent residence.
The sources said they knew of a number of applicants who had spent little or no time in Home Affairs queues, yet suddenly had their paperwork.
"The services Home Affairs offers to refugees are supposed to be free of charge, but it has become a business," one man complained. "This is discrimination against the poor. It is difficult to watch some people buy their papers while those who can't afford the bribes are forced to live as illegals."
The sources said it was "laughable" that cameras had been installed in the Che Guevara Road Home Affairs office and others, in an attempt to stamp out corruption.
"These people are not stupid. The transactions don't happen in the office, but in Mahatma Gandhi (Point) Road. Money is handed over by the applicant, and the "translator" gives him or her the residence papers provided by his contact at Home Affairs. Later you see the fraudsters partying together in a bar. It is common knowledge. But we are all afraid of repercussions, and don't know who to report it to."
Nokthula Ndlovu, corruption officer with the department's anti-corruption team, is to hold a confidential meeting with the informants later this week, at which the SAPS will also be represented.