Somlomo, mandibulele kuSekela-mongameli, ndibulise nakumalungu ale Ndlu inkulu. [Chairperson, let me thank the Deputy President and also greet the members of this august House.]
The DA is deeply concerned about the manner in which refugee reception centres are managed in this country. The response time to individual applications, by either political asylum seekers or economic migrants, is appalling. The Nyanga refugee centre is one of the examples that we have chosen after having made numerous visits to this centre.
Kuqengqeleka iinyanga abantu belinde ukuba bafumane iincwadi zabo, begxalathelana ukuya kweli ziko, besuka kumazwe ngamazwe becinga ukuba baza kukwazi ukuncedakala. Ingxaki enje ngale uthi xa ufika phaya ubone ukuba ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[People have been waiting for their documents for months now, flocking to this centre from different countries hoping that they will be assisted. You only get to see this kind of problem when you arrive there ...]
... there are private security personnel running the centre whilst the officials sit there doing nothing.
One of the characteristics of this particular centre that we have observed is its high absentee rate. This is very serious. Other characteristics include poor filing of documents and loss of files owing to the manner in which they are packed at this facility. Fraud and corruption were observed at that centre and have been reported in the newspapers.
Lastly, the Department of Home Affairs, in seeking to address these challenges, must try to centralise the application process so that the turnaround time is shorter.
Abantu basuka eRhawutini, abanye basuka kwamanye amaphondo afana neLimpopo, KwaZulu-Natala njalo njalo, afike umntu athi: Bendenze isicelo kwezi ndawo, kodwa ngoku ndilapha eNtshona Koloni. Kuthiwa mandihambe ndiye kulaa ndawo bendisuka kuyo. Loo nto ayamkelekanga kwaphela.
Ke, sifuna ukuyandisa sithi kuMphathiswa makathathe amanyathelo ngokukhawuleza ngoba uye wathembisa ukuba uya kuyenza loo nto. Siyabulela. [Laphela ixesha.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[People come from Gauteng, others are from other provinces like Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and so on, and when this person arrives he will say: I have made an application in one of these provinces, but now I am here in the Western Cape. I am told to go back to the province I come from. That is totally unacceptable.
Therefore, we want to extend this and appeal to the Minister to take corrective measures immediately as she has promised to do so. Thank you. [Time expired.]]