The Democratic Alliance(DA) Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Haniff Hoosen has raised concerns about the state of the Cape Town Refugee Centre near the city’s CBD.
He visited the centre after receiving complaints from asylum seekers about poor service.
Hoosen says issues that need urgent attention include the lack of personnel, lack of security and lack of technology required to process documentation.
Hoosen also raised concern over the failure of the Home Affairs Department to adhere to a Supreme Court of Appeal order to open a refugee reception office for new asylum seekers in Cape Town by the end of March.
He says: “People who are in the country who want to apply for ayslum seeker status for the very first time, they still can not do it from the office. What this office deals with is the renewal of existing asylum seeker permits and refugee permits.
“They are not taking in new applications becuase they do not have the facilities to do so.”
