Question NW121 to the Minister of Home Affairs:
08 July 2019 - NW121
McGluwa, Mr JJ to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
(1) What are the basic requirements for asylum seekers to obtain a waiver certificate; (2) whether any personnel and/or agency is appointed to guide asylum seekers who want to legalise their stay in the Republic; if not, whether he will consider appointing such personnel and/or agency; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether he can provide a detailed list of (a) the number of asylum centres and its addresses and contact details that currently exist in the Republic, (b) any and/or reasonable shelters that were erected and/or provided for asylum seekers by her department, (c) the number of asylum seekers and/or residency permit holders who have received full birth certificates and (d) asylum applications being rejected due to fraudulent documents; (4) whether any security personnel is provided at asylum centres; if so, (a) where and (b) what are the relevant details; (5) whether any difficulty in obtaining a full birth certificate for any asylum seeker has been eradicated; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. The departmental legislation does not make provision for ‘waiver certificate’ as stated above. Rather, the department will issue an asylum transit visas to new asylum applicants that declare their intention to apply for asylum on arrival at designated ports of entry. The basic requirement is that a person must declare the intention to apply for asylum.
2. The department has personnel appointed at the Refugee Reception Centres for the above asked function in terms of section 8(2) that reads with section 21(1), (2) and (5) of the Refugee Act.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugee is the UN agency operating in South Africa with offices and implementing partners across the country that is also assisting new and existing asylum applicants through the asylum process. The agency is fully equipped and mandated to provide support to both clients and the department.
(3)(a) The department has five Refugee Reception Centres.
Addresses and contact details that currently exist in the Republic are as follows:
|
OFFICE |
LOCATION |
CENTRE MANAGER |
CONTACT DETAILS |
|
Cape Town Refugee Reception Office |
5th Floor, Custom House, Corner Heerengracht & Table Boulevard Streets, Cape Town |
Akos Essel |
Phone: 021 421 9173 / 9200 Mobile: Email: [email protected] |
|
Desmond Tutu Refugee Reception Office |
Corner Eskia Mphahlele & Struben Streets, Pretoria |
Bangwalang Chiloane |
Phone: 012 395 4174 / 4000 Email: [email protected] |
|
Durban Refugee Reception Office |
137 Che Guevara Street, Durban |
Naleen Balgobind |
Phone: 031 362 1201 Mobile: Email: [email protected] |
|
Musina Refugee Reception Office |
8 Harold Grenfel Street, Musina |
Jimmy Malemela |
Phone: 015 534 5300 |
|
Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office |
10A Gidbaud Road, Sydenham, Lakeside |
Sabelo Ngxitho |
Phone: 041 404 8361/ 3 Mobile: Email [email protected] |
(3)(b) The department does not provide shelter to asylum seekers and refugees.
(3)(c) Asylum seekers and refugees are not issued with full birth certificates, rather a recognition of birth that must be taken to the centre for a full asylum permit.
(3)(d) This category of decision/rejection does not exist in the Refugee Act.
(4)(a) All Centres have security personnel.
(4)(b) Centres have private security in uniform 24 hours, whilst the Department’s security personnel are present during the day.
(5) There are no difficulties in registering children of asylum seekers born in South Africa. Asylum seekers are issued with recognition of birth document. It is the responsibility of the parents to take such document and submit them to the Refugee Reception Centre with immediate effect to allow their children proper registration and issuance of the asylum permit.
END