Immigrant centre a 'rip-off'
20/06/2007 21:33  - (SA)  

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Cape Town - The Home Affairs Department has conceded that the multi-million rand contract with the company running the Lindela repatriation centre in Gauteng for illegal immigrants is virtually "a rip-off".

Home Affairs Director-Ggeneral Mavuso Msimang told parliament's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa): "We will definitely be reviewing it next year and see if it can not be improved for the benefit of the department."

The contract with Leading Prospects (Pty) Ltd to run Lindela "almost amounts to a rip-off", he said.

It was drafted in such a way that the department only benefited when the centre was full to capacity.

Msimang said: "Our objective is to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country. Therefore, you cannot have a contract where the department stands to benefit by having more illegal immigrants,"

According to the contract, the department paid the company R80 a day for each illegal immigrant detained at the centre on the assumption that there would be 3 250 inmates at the facility every month.

But in the event of the number of inmates at the centre dropping to less than 3 250 a month, the department still had to pay the same amount.

The committee chairperson, Themba Godi, asked the department's chief financial officer, Pat Kambule, to provide the committee with all the names of the company's directors and shareholders.

Speculation is rife that some of the company's shareholders are leading political figures.

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