Home >> Africa >> Republic of South Africa  Email  Print Refugees in South Africa (Part 3): Government Corruption Miriam Mannak - 5/21/2005 The Department of Home Affairs has appealed to the public to be "alert to all forms of corruption" at the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office. This follows a Cape Times investigation that found "agents" working outside the refugee office, but in co-operation with officials inside, were offering refugees an asylum-seeker's permit in exchange for R250 to R350.
The permit, known as a Section 22, is issued free of charge. Getting one, however, can take weeks or months.
Asylum-seekers without a Section 22 do not have the legal right to work and risk being arrested if they take jobs. Many refugees have become so desperate that they have resorted to using the "agents".
"We can't make any statements until we have in our possession all the necessary information," Home Affairs head of communications Nkosana Sibuyi said yesterday.
"This is a serious matter involving criminal acts. This takes time. While we work on it, we ask everyone to be alert to all forms of corruption."
Fabrice* from Uganda, who gave the Cape Times the telephone numbers of two "agents", said that at least one of he "agents" described by this newspaper had not shown up at the refugee office yesterday.
Fabrice was at the office to have his Section 22 extended.
"I was there this morning and Mubiru, who was previously there practically every day, was nowhere to be found," he said. "I assume the media attention scared him off."
Fabrice said the response from the office had improved after the news reports.
"On Friday and yesterday about 60 people got their permits. For the past few months the refugee office used to assist not more than 10 people a day."
One of the luckier refugees is David* from Uganda, who received his Section 22 last week.
"This is thanks to the Cape Times article last week about our waiting for weeks or months for our permits. (The refugee office) panicked and decided to speed up the process," he said.
David waited for more than two months for a permit.
"After months of queuing, waking up early and even sleeping outside the office I can study, work and identify myself," he said, proudly showing a photocopy of his Section 22.
"And now I no longer have to duck the police."
* Not their real names
** Also published in The Cape Time. Miriam Mannak has degrees in Journalism, International Relations, American Studies and International Development Studies. As part of her studies, she's done research on crime in Netherlands, landmines in Cambodia, political, economical and social relations between US and Europ in 2003 versus transatlantic relations during Cold War, and the role of the UN in the genocide in Rwanda. Ms. Mannak currently resides in the Republic of South Africa, and in the past also lived in Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and Holland. She worked for various publications, including De Telegraaf, Gooi - en Eemlander, Sp!ts, The Cape Times, Zuid-Afrika Huis, De Jonge Journalist and Backpackers Galaxy.
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