‘You can’t be a refugee indefinitely’

Home Affairs CFO, Gordon Hollamby, says granting indefinite refugee status to asylum seekers must be done away with.

He says the majority of these applicants are not genuine refugees.

His remarks come as government works to impose more stringent laws for foreign nationals who want South African citizenship.

The Department of Home Affairs says it’s concerned by undocumented foreign nationals who may be taking advantage of the country’s lenient refugee policy.

Today is the final day for South Africans to submit their views on the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, which could see foreign nationals face tougher screening for South African citizenship.

In its current format, the white paper states that there aren’t enough resources available in South Africa to cater to all those who may require citizenship.

According to researchers, South Africa has the highest number of immigrants among all African countries. An estimated 2.9 million migrants resided in the country in mid-year 2020, with a significant number of them undocumented.

Action SA leader, Herman Mashaba, says the proposed tighter migration laws are an attempt to absolve the ANC-led government of responsibility for the country’s poor border management.

The opposition party leader held a picket outside the Department of Home Affairs headquarters in Pretoria yesterday over the proposed new laws.

Mashaba insists the country’s immigration laws are tight enough as they are. He says they just need to be implemented more effectively.

When YNews quizzed him on the timing of the protest, Mashaba admitted that the picket formed part of ActionSA’s electioneering campaign. Article written by Naomi Kobbie