Improve migrant facilities - MPs
2007-08-06 22:52
Cape Town - Members of Parliament plan to urge the Minister of Home Affairs and her director-general to expand the space available for refugees from Zimbabwe.
They also want the department to clean up the refugee reception centre at Marabastad in Pretoria.
The chairperson of the Home Affairs committee, Patrick Chauke, said on Monday that they had made an unannounced visit to the refugee centre.
They said there was a lack of facilities and they also had health-related concerns. They were also worried about security at the camp and said crime was increasing.
The MPs said the centre's equipment needed to be upgraded and observed a lack of appropriate furniture. They also commented on inadequate management and a series of problems in processing the arrivals there.
Chauke said: "The increase in migrants from Zimbabwe has put enormous pressure on the Marabastad reception centre.
"The portfolio committee is of the opinion that the capacity of the reception centre should be increased to ensure that waiting periods are curtailed.
"The Department of Home Affairs should be pro-active in this regard."
DA defends farmers
The Democratic Alliance, meanwhile, has defended the border farmers who are taking action on their own to try to stem the tide of refugees coming over the border.
"Failure by the government to take proper action and acknowledge the extent of the refugee problem at our borders is forcing farmers to deal as best they can with an extremely difficult situation," said the party's home affairs spokesperson, Mark Lowe.
"It's the mandate of the [police] to provide proper border control and to detect people coming into the country over the farms illegally, and not ordinary SA citizens.
"The fact that they are forced to do this is an indication that the system is not working properly."
The DA is also calling for an expansion of refugee accommodation so that they can access emergency relief services.