Agb Voorsitter, die agb Minister sowel as die kollega van die DA het verwys na die statusbepalende beamptes by die vlugtelingsentrums, en albei het genoem dat hulle baie junior mense is.
Ek het die voorreg gehad om verlede jaar 'n besoek af te l by die Marabastadsentrum en te sien hoe die bepaling daar gedoen word. Ek kan u verseker dat daardie amptenare dit baie ernstig opneem en nie ligtelik daarmee omgaan nie. Hulle doen werklik hul werk en doen dit op 'n korrekte manier.
Die feit van die saak is dat ons met 'n abnormale situasie in Suid-Afrika sit, waar ons meer asielsoekers het wat in hierdie land instroom as op enige ander plek op aarde. Die feit van die saak is dat verreweg die oorgrote meerderheid van daardie asielsoekers nie werklike asielsoekers is nie, maar mense wat hierheen wil kom vir 'n beter lewe.
Die staat se eerste verpligting is teenoor sy eie burgers. Daar moet maatrels getref word om ons eie burgers te beskerm, alhoewel ons ook internasionale verpligtinge moet nakom in daardie verband. Ek weet nie of dit werklik prakties gaan wees om dit nou te skuif na 'n komitee toe nie. Daardie beamptes werk hulself tans oor 'n mik om elke dag die volume te kan hanteer. Om dit na 'n komitee toe te skuif, gaan 'n praktiese probleem wees.
Om 'n appl na die direkteur-generaal toe deur te stuur, gaan ook 'n probleem wees. Die direkteur-generaal gaan basies niks anders kan doen as om dag en nag hierdie applle te hanteer nie. Ek dink dit is ondeurdag. Daar moet weer gekyk word na hoe prakties dit is. Ons kan dit nie op hierdie basis hanteer nie. Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Dr C P MULDER: Hon Chairperson, both the hon Minister, as well as the colleague from the DA referred to the officials in charge of status determination at the refugee centres, and both mentioned that they are very junior people.
Last year I had the privilege to pay a visit to the Marabastad centre and to see how the determination is done there. I can assure you that those officials are taking it very seriously and are not dealing with it frivolously. They really do their work and do it in a proper manner.
The fact of the matter is that we are saddled with an abnormal situation in South Africa, where we have a greater influx of asylumseekers into this country than any other place on earth. The fact of the matter is that by far the majority of those asylumseekers are not actually asylumseekers, but people who want to come here for a better life.
The state's first duty is to its own citizens. Measures should be taken to protect our own citizens although, on that score, we also have to honour international commitments. I do not know whether it will really, at this time, be practical to move this responsibility to a committee. As it is, at present those officials are working themselves to a standstill to be able to manage the volume of work each day. To move this responsibility to a committee is going to be a practical problem.
To lodge an appeal through to the director-general is also going to be a problem. Basically the director-general would not be able to do anything else except deal with these appeals day and night. I think this move has been ill-considered. It has to be considered again as to how practical it is. We shouldn't manage this process in this manner. Thank you.]