Two hundred foreign nationals who had a traffic-violations case against them withdrawn have been detained at the Lindela repatriation centre, the Department of Home Affairs said on Thursday
The group had been living on the verge of the R28 for a week after being transferred from a shelter for xenophobia victims in Glenanda, Johannesburg. They were subsequently arrested and charged with violating traffic laws.
In a statement, the department said the group has been detained at the Lindela holding centre in order to determine their status within the country.
”About 66 of them have voluntarily indicated that they no longer intend to pursue their claims for asylum and have requested to be returned to their home countries,” it said.
The department, together with country representatives, will facilitate their return to their home countries.
Spokesperson Siobhan McCarthy said applications for those members of the group who are seeking asylum have been completed. ”Twenty-three applications were rejected on the grounds that they were unfounded, abusive or fraudulent.”
She said the standing committee for refugee affairs has reviewed the decisions made by the refugee-status determination officers in this regard and confirmed the outcome.
The department rejected a further 28 applications after no sufficient evidence was found to show that they qualified for refugee status. McCarthy said these applicants could not show that they had fled persecution in their home countries.
”They have been given an opportunity to appeal this decision. Should the Refugee Appeal Board uphold the decision of the refugee-status determination officer in this regard, they will be deported.”
She added: ”Those asylum seekers who have refused to cooperate in finalising their claims for asylum have breached the conditions and have been given 10 days to give reasons why the decision to withdraw their asylum-seeker permits should be reconsidered.”
All the women and children who are been kept at the Randfontein family guidance centre will be subjected to the same processes as the men in finalising their status. — Sapa