NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 309 / CW409E
DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 22 June 2012
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 18 of 2012
Mr M W Makhubela (COPE-Limpopo) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
(1) Whether the Tshwane Interim Refugee Reception Offices in Pretoria are
(a) equipped and (b) located to handle the volume of refugees that
come to those offices for assistance; if not, why not; if so, what are
the relevant details;
(2) whether a feasibility study was conducted before the relocation of
the offices to determine (a) the expected volume of work, (b) the
number of personnel required,
(c) the accessibility of the venue, (d) water and sanitation
facilities and (e) the parking space available; if not, why not; if
so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether her Department will take any steps to alleviate the poor
image reflecting on her Department as a result of the negative impact
that has been brought by the alleged unattended long queues of
refugees (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, what steps;
(4) whether her Department has conducted any surveys on the environmental
and health impact caused by the alleged behaviour of applicants
(details furnished); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant
details?
CW409E
REPLY:
(1)(a) & (b) Yes, although it is difficult to predict the exact number
of asylum seekers and refugees who will report at a specific
Refugee Reception Office at any given time. Since its inception in
April 2009, an analysis of the statistics and available figures in
terms of the number of asylum seekers and refugees assisted at the
Tshwane Interim Refugee Reception Office (TIRRO), found that the
centre has adequate capacity in terms of available human resources
and accessibility to the office and to provide services to all who
reported at the office. A pressured increase on infrastructure
capacity has been experienced since May 2011 when asylum seekers
and refugees who reported to and were assisted at the Crown Mines
Refugee Reception Office had to be assisted and attended to at
TIRRO.
(2)(a) to (e) No. TIRRO was a project initiated in April 2009 to process
the high number of asylum seekers from the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) countries in the Gauteng region. It
was estimated at the time that these asylum seekers comprised more
than 75% of the total number of asylum seekers received by South
Africa each year.
(3) Yes. The Department already implemented an on-going Service
Improvement Plan and its aim is to:
⢠Improve access to all Refugee Reception Offices
⢠Ensure efficient and effective service provision at all
Refugee Reception Offices
⢠Develop and successfully implement refugee management policy
⢠Re-engineer business processes
The plan is supported through the engagement with and
participation of all critical stakeholders in the overhaul of the
asylum seeker and refugee management programme. The Department is
aware that this is a long process and the plan has very clear
short, medium and long term deliverables aimed at the achievement
of this turn around.
4) No. The Department has not yet conducted any surveys on the
environmental and health impact caused by the alleged behaviour of
the applicants. The prevalent situation at TIRRO has not reached
proportions where such surveys are needed or warranted. The
Department is, however, working with the Tshwane Metropolitan
Municipality to develop programmes to assess the impact of asylum
seekers and refugees. Amongst others, the benefits of hosting
asylum seekers and refugees form part of these programmes.