During our visit, the queues at Customs House were extremely long, but orderly. This, according to one of the applicants, is only because they told officials how things should be done. On other days, there have been stampedes and security guards have been working with officials on the inside taking bribes to allow people to jump the queues.
When we queried officials at Customs House about the bribery allegations, we were informed that six officials have been suspended to date.
From our inspection of the office, it would appear that the centre is severely understaffed and applicants are not being informed as to how everything is working. One of the main challenges is that there are massive delays in adjudicating asylum applications and applicants have to return almost monthly to extend their application status.
The DA will be raising this matter with the Minister of Home Affairs, Naledi Pandor, as it is clear there is a lack of information, staff and efficient systems in place to deal with the number of applicants. We will also ask her to explain why there continues to be massive backlogs in determining asylum and refugee status.
The situation at Customs House in Cape Town is not an isolated one. National Refugee Reception Offices across the country are often characterised by administrative incompetence, endless queues and even stampedes. The Minister of Home Affairs must intervene to see that problems are fixed.
At the introduction of the Smart ID Card in Pretoria today, the Minister said that "at the heart of that dignity and human worth are the attributes of identity, citizenship and dignity which affirm the status of every citizen in every nation and allow us as individuals to move around our countries or the world, knowing that we have been effectively documented". Asylum seekers and refugees who have been forced to leave their countries deserve to have their dignity restored too and be effectively documented.
