Foreign nationals who have been verified sitting outside the refugee centre in Durban.
THE eThekwini Municipality will soon set up a repatriation facilitation office in Durban to address the immigration challenge in the city.
Mayor Cyril Xaba said the office will help legal refugees who genuinely wish to return to their countries of origin.
He said the support won’t be available to foreign nationals who are in the country illegally, including asylum seekers whose applications were rejected.
Xaba said details of the initiative will be worked out together with diplomatic officials from the affected countries, adding that he’ll soon reach out to ambassadors from the countries concerned.
He has already informed the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps for KZN of his intention to do so.
“Details regarding the location of the repatriation facilitation office and its operational procedures will be announced in due course,” he said.
Xaba called for the introduction of new asylum seeker documentation embedded with tamper-proof security features or seals, as part of efforts to ensure refugee status was granted to deserving cases, thereby protecting the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
“Following the adoption of security measures, anyone who fails to migrate to the new system within the prescribed timeframe must face arrest and deportation. This will assist the Department of Home Affairs in cleansing its data and eliminating permits that might have been fraudulently issued,” he said.
Meanwhile, foreign nationals, who had spent two nights at Diakonia Centre, were transported to the Department of Home Affairs’ Durban Refugee Reception Centre on Thursday, 21 May.
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More than 300 foreign nationals were verified, with only one individual found to be without proper documentation and subsequently detained.
Xaba called upon residents in areas where foreign nationals live to accept them, as their status has been verified.
“But those that remain in our communities without the necessary documentation must be arrested and deported for avoiding the law,” he said.
On Monday, 25 May, Xaba will attend a meeting between retailers who deliver goods – Takealot, Checkers, Mr D, Uber and representatives of March and March – on the hiring of foreign nationals for delivery jobs.
The meeting is organised under the auspices of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“I believe that if we work collaboratively on such initiatives, a great deal can be achieved in addressing migration issues,” said Xaba.
However, Home Affairs manager in Durban Cyril Mncwango confirmed that on Thursday, 21 May, they verified 457 foreign nationals. Of the 457 verified, only two had problems.
Foreign nationals are currently sitting outside the refugee centre, where they spent the night.
One of the leaders, Raphael Kabambire, said they’ll stay there until they feel safe enough to go back to their homes.
They said they fear for their lives amid civic organisations that held marches allegedly targeting undocumented foreign nationals. They first spent the night outside the Durban Central Police Station before they were forcefully moved to Diakonia Centre, where they spent two nights.