Refugees Amendment Draft Bill, 2015

The Department of Home Affairs invites you to comment on the draft Refugees Amendment Bill, 2015.

The Bill seeks to amend the Refugees Act, 1998, so as to:
• amend and insert certain definitions;
• include further provisions relating to disqualification from refugee status;
• provide for integrity testing of certain staff members;
• omit provisions referring to the Status Determination Committee;
• substitute certain provisions relating to the Refugee Appeals Authority;
• provide for the re-establishment of the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs and to confer additional powers on the Standing Committee;
• confer additional powers on the Director-General;
• clarify the procedure relating to conditions to asylum seeker visas and abandonment of applications;
• revise provisions relating to the review of asylum applications;
• provide for the withdrawal of refugee status in respect of categories of refugees;
• provide for additional offences and penalties.

Comments can be emailed to Adv Tsietsi Sebelemetja at [email protected] and Adv Moses Malakate at [email protected] by no later than Monday, 31 August 2015.

Enquiries can be directed to Adv Tsietsi Sebelemetja on tel (012) 406 4271 or cell 082 907 1831 or Moses Malakate on tel (012) 406 4273 or cell 076 481 4716.