Programme News
22 July 2015
(News)
Widespread corruption is threatening the safety of those applying for asylum in South Africa.
Under-the-table payments are commonplace at refugee offices meaning some genuine asylum seekers are forced to return home, where they face persecution.
In Marabatad, Pretoria, more than half the refugees surveyed said they had been asked for a bribe.
“Not enough seriousness. Not enough attention...
22 July 2015
(News)
A new report on the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa paints an abysmal picture of endemic corruption, extortion, deliberate delays and serial abuse at almost all stages of the process. A range of South Africans from security guards at the department of home affairs’ offices and police, to home affairs and border post officials, prey on the vulnerable and desperate...
22 July 2015
(News)
South Africa’s refugee law holds the promise of protection to those fleeing persecution – including politically motivated rape and torture – and civil wars in their home countries. Unfortunately, our Refugee Reception Offices (RROs) have failed to realise this promise and are instead characterised by inefficiency, poor quality decision-making, and corruption.
As a result, the...
22 July 2015
(News)
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is calling on the public protector to investigate alleged corruption at refugee offices throughout South Africa. This follows the organisation’s two year study of the country’s asylum system.
They have found widespread corruption throughout the asylum process, from border crossings, refugee reception centers, application processes and detention centres....
22 July 2015
(News)
Corruption Watch says it is shocked by the findings of its latest investigations, which have revealed the extent of malpractice at refugee reception offices.
On average asylum seekers are reportedly being forced to pay at least four bribes to have their legal documents finalised.
Investigations have found that bribes are paid for a number of services, including directing applicants to the correct...
22 July 2015
(News)
Calls have been made for a reform of the Home Affairs Department to end corruption at refugee reception offices.
On Wednesday, the African Centre for Migration and Society released a new report documenting shocking levels of corruption in South Africa’s asylum system.
Foreign nationals reportedly have to pay multiple bribes at reception offices to have their paperwork finalised.
Researchers...
22 July 2015
(News)
Corruption Watch says it’s shocked by the findings of its latest investigations, which have revealed the extent of malpractice at refugee reception offices across the country.
On average, asylum seekers have reported being forced to pay at least four bribes to have their legal documents finalised.
Investigations have found that bribes are paid for a number of reasons, including directing...
22 July 2015
(News)
Refugees seeking asylum in South Africa are routinely asked for bribes at reception centers and border posts, two human rights groups said.
Almost 30 percent of the 928 asylum seekers surveyed while they were in or waiting to enter South African refugee reception offices experienced instances of corruption, Lawyers for Human Rights and the African Centre for Migration and Society said in a report...
22 July 2015
(News)
In South Africa, asylum seekers and refugees in need of documentation often have no choice but to pay for it. So says a new report exposing how corruption and bribery have permeated nearly every level of the country’s asylum system: from border crossings, to queues outside refugee reception offices, to what takes place inside those offices.
The report, carried out by the African Centre for...
22 July 2015
(News)
WERE it not for municipal by-laws, the area outside the Marabastad refugee reception centre run by the Department of Home Affairs could easily become a tent city akin to a makeshift refugee camp.
Marabastad is one of the centres where refugees have to go to secure the necessary documentation to remain legally in SA. It has been identified in a report by Lawyers for Human Rights and the African...