Pretoria - Asylum-seekers at the Desmond Tutu Refugee Centre in Marabastad are “herded like cattle and treated like inmates” when they go to apply for documentation.
This emerged during an oversight visit to the facility by DA provincial leader John Moodey and the party’s Gauteng North chairperson Abel Tau following allegations that officials and security guards were demanding bribes from immigrants wanting documents.
In addition, the asylum-seekers said they had to be at the centre from as early as 1am to have any hope of being assisted.
The Desmond Tutu centre is notorious for long queues, overcrowding, allegations of corruption and criminal syndicates.
The high activity in the area attracts criminal activity. During the visit, a group of men searched a man who was in the queue and he was robbed of his belongings in full view of the public.
The asylum-seekers also alleged there was a security officer who carried a whip and would not hesitate to use it “to keep them in order”.
The centre, formerly known as the Marabastad Refugee Reception Centre, was renamed and launched by former president Jacob Zuma last year. When Zuma was shown the revamped building by Home Affairs officials, he said the government would not tolerate any corrupt activity at reception centres.
But on Monday refugees and other affected people said the swift service promised by Zuma had not materialised.
Loveline Ntoh Besong came from Cameroon in 2008 to seek asylum and study at Unisa. However, her permit had expired, and the 28-year-old told the Pretoria News trying to reapply was a life-changing experience. “I took a taxi to camp at the centre at night and was almost raped. My clothes were ripped off by a group of hard-hearted men,” she said.
“The taxi driver promised to drop me off at the entrance, but he left me five blocks away. I met a security officer who walked with me, but he went in the opposite direction and then men came and dragged me into the bush. They took my two cellphones, bag and money. Luckily, they did not rape me.”
Besong said she needed the official asylum document so she continued to the centre and waited for the doors to open at 6am. She witnessed the exchange of bribes - first at the gate, with guards demanding their share, and then inside from officials who were meant to direct people to the right queues.
“Those very people returned to lead us to another queue - for a fee. You end up spending lots of money for nothing,” she said. “When they demand bribes, they say we will get our papers without delay. This place is very dangerous,” Besong said.
When the DA contingent arrived, asylum-seekers started speaking about alleged corruption at the centre. However, security guards interrupted and chased them away.
“I have been coming here for weeks without any help, and the security guards want bribes. I give them R200 and sometimes R500,” another person said.
The DA contingent, led by provincial leader John Moodey, in an altercation with security guards on his arrival for an oversight visit at the centre. Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)
Moodey said: “When we got to the gate what was disturbing is that I had identified myself as a South African, but we were denied access by a security officer, who made it clear after some altercation between us that he needs to find out if I had permission.”
The visit was to witness first-hand what was going on at the centre. “There have been allegations from people that they have to pay every step of the way. They are being herded like cattle. People are intimidated; they are not treated like they are at a state institution; it’s as if they’re here at the mercy of these officials.”
The Department of Home Affairs has yet to comment.