Question NW2768 to the Minister of Home Affairs
17 December 2020 - NW2768
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)What total number of staff members do the (a) Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs and (b) Refugee Appeal Board have in each province; (2) (a) what total number of appeals are the specified (i) committee and (ii) board currently seized with and (b) how long will it take to clear the backlog of cases that must be finalised; (3) (a) what total number of asylum seekers and/or refugee appeals were turned down over the past 10 years and (b)(i) how did his department ensure that those who were asked to leave the country did in fact do so and (ii) what number of the specified individuals were deported?
Reply:
1(a) Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs (SCRA) has a Chairperson and 2 members at head office Pretoria (3). Admin Support staff at head office Pretoria is a total twelve (12).
There are no SCRA members at the regions, members at the head office from time to time visit the five centres on rotational basis., process is underway to appoint 2 Members for Desmond Tutu RRO; 1 for Cape Town and PE RRO; 1 for Durban RRO for a period of two years to attend to the backlog. Over and above that 2 additional Members shall be appointed for a period of five years to be based at the SCRA head office.
(1)(b) The Refugee Appeals Board (currently Refugee Appeals Authority) have the following staff in numbers :
- Pretoria: 1 Member and Chairperson and 13 Admin staff/Officials,
- Cape Town: 1 Member
- Musina, Port Elizabeth and Durban have no staff
(2)(a)(i) SCRA has 29579 cases as at 11 November 2020
(2)(a)(ii) The total number of appeals is 123 424 as at 18 September 2020.
(2)(b)(i) It will take about 2 years to clear the SCRA backlog.
(2)(b)(ii) Based on the Auditor General’s 2019/2020 report if the current capacity of RAASA remains the same, it would take more than 60 years to clear the backlog. However currently, a plan is in place to increase the Authority’s capacity with 36 members, this will mean that the backlog can be cleared within 4 years.
(3)(a)(i) 317245
(3)(a)(ii) The total number of appeals rejected over the last 10 years is 13 572.
(3)(b)(i) Failed Asylum Seekers are either given an order to leave the Republic of South Africa or are detained for the purposes of deportation.
(3)(b)(ii) The records of failed Asylum Seekers who have been deported is as follows :
2015 - 1
2016 - 113
2017 - 561
2018- 110
2019 - 69
2020 - 22
It is only in recent years that we have been doing a breakdown of the analysis of deportees prior status.
END