WATCH | SIU goes after refugee centres in corruption probe

Asylum seekers say they face months of delays in receiving permits from Pretoria’s Desmond Tutu Refugee Centre because of bribery.

The foreigners spoke as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) raided and searched the centre in a simultaneous operation with raids at refugee centres in Cape Town, Musina, Gqeberha and eThekwini.

SIU officials searched for evidence of maladministration and corruption in asylum seeker permits and visas.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation in February giving the SIU authority to probe maladministration and corruption during the past 20 years in the home affairs department.

As SIU investigators combed through the offices for documents and files and seized computers and cellphones of home affairs officials, foreigners queuing for help were removed from the building.

A man from Democratic Republic of Congo, who was at the centre to apply for permits for his two children, said he had returned for the ninth time since March.

“Each time I come here they tell me their system is offline and I should come back another time. It’s frustrating because I need to get my children permits though they were born in South Africa,” he told TimesLIVE.

A Somalian woman who had returned again to renew her asylum seeker permit said the delays are intentional to coerce people to offer bribes.

“They do it on purpose. They want to frustrate us so we give in to the bribe. All of the people here pay or take bribes but they won’t admit it. It’s common for them to pay something to get help or a document.”

It is also alleged the home affairs refugee system is linked to a nearby internet café where permits and visas are printed.

“There are foreigners who run an internet café and are connected with the people inside the refugee centre. People pay the internet café to get assistance from home affairs but the permits and visas are not printed at home affairs but at the internet café. Some are charged R9,000. Others are charged R17,000 per document,” she said.

When TimesLIVE visited the internet café it was closed and locked.

Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi, who was present at the raid, said he prioritised probing the issuing of permits and visas after he met a whistle-blower who revealed cases of corruption and maladministration at the refugee centres.

“The corruption is done by officials with foreigners who don’t deserve to be in South Africa but have a lot of money to bribe.

“I took the head of the SIU to meet the whistle-blower and he agreed with me that this is something we can’t leave. They developed their work and wrote an affidavit which went to the court and the judge gave them a warrant.”

SIU head  Andy Mothibi said the investigations implicate junior and senior officials and evidence showed shortcomings in the home affairs system.

“There are a lot of almost blank cheques to officials who get applications, process it and approve it themselves. It’s a risk. What we have seen is [the system has loopholes] and we will make recommendations and the department has done a lot in closing those loopholes.

“Once we have processed [the evidence] it will give us a clear indication of who is involved and we will start consequence management including prosecution. We have to refer evidence pointing to criminal action to the SAPS to work on to see where they can prosecute. Once evidence points to that, we will ensure we send it to home affairs so those implicated are taken out of the system,” Mothibi said. 

TimesLIVE