Amnesty International calls on the Department of Home Affairs to ensure that the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office (RRO) is reopened without delay, following a high court judgment handed down this week.
“We welcome the Western Cape High Court’s order that the RRO be reopened. It is concerning that the Department of Home Affairs has continued to flout the rule of law by ignoring previous judgements on this matter, despite continuous calls for the compliance and reopening of the RRO from a number of organisations, including Amnesty” Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said.
“The closure of the office since 2012 has prejudiced refugees in Cape Town and surrounding areas who were only able to apply for asylum in Pretoria, Durban or Musina, forcing them to travel long distances.”
“It is important that asylum seekers are issued with official documents on time and in line with the Refugee Act, especially in the midst of a global pandemic, which gives them access to health, education and employment. Without these documents, asylum seekers are left destitute and vulnerable to harassment, arrest and detention,” Mohamed said.
The South African asylum system continues to fail those who need it most and has left asylum seekers and migrants in limbo without legal status. This was highlighted once again in Amnesty’s 2020/21 annual report released in April.
The report also highlighted how South African authorities have failed to
abide by their constitutional and international legal obligations towards refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants.
BACKGROUND
On 18 May 2021, the Western Cape High Court ordered that the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office, which has been closed since 2012, be reopened. The matter was brought by the Legal Resource Centre (LRC), representing the Scalabrini Centre and Somali Association for South Africa.
Judge Alma De Wet declared that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is in breach of a Supreme Court of Appeal order dated 29 September 2017 to re-open the Cape Town Refugee Reception office. She also ordered that the department must file a monthly report on the progress of reopening the office, which will be discussed at a monthly meeting with legal representatives of the DHA, LRC and the judge. The report will include details of office premises, operational budget, personnel and computer infrastructure, who is responsible for what, and timelines, according to media reports.
-ENDS-
For more information or to request an interview please call Amnesty International South Africa’s Media and Communications Officer Genevieve Quintal on +27 64 890 9224 or email genevieve.quintal@amnesty.org.za
