Home affairs minister visits Lindela repatriation centre

Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor has addressed the media on repeated allegations surrounding unlawful detentions, human rights abuses and access to services for foreign nationals after her visit to the Lindela repatriation centre in Krugersdorp on Friday.

Pandor also spoke on the situation of women being separated from their children once arrested for being in South Africa illegally. A Special Assignment report on 24 January 2013 highlighted the plight of several mothers who had been arrested, leaving their children unattended.

She denied claims that children could sometimes be found inside Lindela: “I haven’t seen one child here in Lindela. It’s not our policy to have kids here and it’s not our policy to separate mother and child.”

The minister did, however, give her promise to look into the accuracy of claims made in the Special Assignment report, especially those of physical abuse at the detention centre.

Lawyers for Human Rights has released numerous reports on the rights violations at the Lindela repatriation centre and continues to request meetings with the home affairs department about conditions at the centre.

ATTACHED MINISTER'S SPEECH