‘Show us cash before we help you’

Refugees seeking to get their asylum permits renewed at the Department of Home Affairs offices at the Tshwane Showgrounds are accusing officials of corruption and unwillingness to help people who cannot afford to pay a bribe. Tempers flared on Monday when at least 2 000 refugees blocked Soutter Street next to the entrance leading into the grounds. They burnt tyres as they protested and police had to be called in to maintain order. No one was arrested during the protest. After the dust had settled, refugees were told to come back next week, something that did not sit well with them.

People complained that their permits were about to expire and they could not go back to where they had come from as they were afraid of being arrested and deported. They accused Home Affairs officials of deliberately making sure that the permits expired so that they would get desperate and cough up bribe money to get the papers.

“There are people coming from Cape Town, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Our papers are expiring and police will deport us,” said one man, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation.

A lot of the people were furious about how business was being conducted there. According to the refugees, they are being forced to pay R200 to the security guards just to get into the premises and then once they are inside, they are then forced to pay money to the officials to be assisted.

“I have been coming here for 20 days and I still have not been helped. One official told me to bring R4 000 before they could help me. I can’t go back to work because I don’t have papers,” said another man, who also asked to remain anonymous.

Another said the situation inside the offices was so bad that when you got to the officials, they told you they could not find your file, but the moment you gave them money, the file was mysteriously found.

“Everyone who pays the money comes out with the papers, but we are being told to come back the following day. Where am I supposed to get such money to give to these people while I have a family starving in Somalia?” asked another man.

The refugees said if they were not told their files could not be found, they were told there was no paper on which to print the asylum papers. It is said that the centre has been without the security paper for at least three weeks now, but people are told to come back the next day. It is said that some of the officials are so bold that they don’t even try to hide when they get the bribe money from people.

“Some just do the exchange of money right there on their tables. Others tell you to go to the bathroom and wrap the money with toilet paper and then come back and throw it into the rubbish bins next to them,” said another man.

It is alleged that those who pay R2 000 get permits for a period of six months to a year while those paying R3 000 will get permits for two to three years and R5 000 can get one a permit for almost five years.

Davit Cote, of Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), said they learnt that the security paper would only be available next week and this would put the refugees in serious danger of being deported.

“The refugees won’t have proof that they are in the country legally. We have not heard of a notice that was given to police or immigration officials informing them not to arrest those people whose papers are expiring,” said Cote.

A Home Affairs official, Manusha Pillai, said the department was investigating the matter.

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