CLAIRE KEETON, Johannesburg | Wednesday
SOUTH Africa’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) has exposed a list of abuses against illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers in a new report, including unlawfully long detentions, abuse and corruption by those in charge of them.
Violence towards detainees is “frequently present” at the Lindela repatriation centre near Johannesburg – which hosts some 1 500 people – despite steps to improve conditions at the centre, the HRC said in a special report on migrants.
Commissioner Jody Kollapen said “vague and dangerous” criteria were used to determine the detainees’ country of origin including skin colour, height, vaccination marks, language and surnames.
It was the HRC’s second report monitoring the rights of undocumented migrants, among them economic migrants and asylum-seekers, and it is based on research at the Lindela centre from September to December 1999.
The first report in March 1999 made recommendations to the department of home affairs and the private company managing Lindela.
Kollapen said the HRC was disappointed by the “inertia of the department of home affairs” to their recommendations but pleased by positive steps taken by the company.
The second report again contains recommendations, particularly for the establishment of an independent judicial inspectorate body with responsibility for Lindela.
The report describes, for example, how 11 men were beaten up after guards could not find money reported stolen.
Detainees are woken up two to five times a night for security reasons and if they look around or make requests they risk being beaten up by guards, the report says.
At night only male guards patrol the centre, and women are vulnerable to sexual abuse.
“The abuse can be as flagrant as rape or as subtle as a passage to safety brought at the price of sexual favours,” the report says.
Detainees are often held past the legal limit of 30 days, the reports says.
Most migrants from Lindela are repatriated to Mozambique, a large percentage to Zimbabwe and Lesotho and the rest further afield, said contributor to the report and lawyer Jonathan Klaaren.
He said migrants from places like West Africa were likely to be detained for excessive periods as it took home affairs longer to investigate their details.
Home Affairs rounded up 189 961 illegal aliens in 1999 – 123 961 from Mozambique – according to the department’s 1999 annual report. – AFP