Programme News
22 July 2015
(News)
Corruption Watch says it is shocked by the findings of its latest investigations, which have revealed the extent of malpractice at refugee reception offices.
On average asylum seekers are reportedly being forced to pay at least four bribes to have their legal documents finalised.
Investigations have found that bribes are paid for a number of services, including directing applicants to the correct...
22 July 2015
(News)
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is calling on the public protector to investigate alleged corruption at refugee offices throughout South Africa. This follows the organisation’s two year study of the country’s asylum system.
They have found widespread corruption throughout the asylum process, from border crossings, refugee reception centers, application processes and detention centres....
22 July 2015
(News)
ALMOST a third of the people who have to deal with SA’s refugee reception offices have been asked for bribes, a new report suggests.
It details the extent of corruption in the refugee-and asylum-seeking process and concludes that corruption in this area is "very serious".
The report, to be released on Wednesday by Lawyers for Human Rights and the African Centre for Migration and...
22 July 2015
(News)
South Africa’s refugee law holds the promise of protection to those fleeing persecution – including politically motivated rape and torture – and civil wars in their home countries. Unfortunately, our Refugee Reception Offices (RROs) have failed to realise this promise and are instead characterised by inefficiency, poor quality decision-making, and corruption.
As a result, the...
22 July 2015
(News)
Refugees seeking asylum in South Africa are routinely asked for bribes at reception centers and border posts, two human rights groups said.
Almost 30 percent of the 928 asylum seekers surveyed while they were in or waiting to enter South African refugee reception offices experienced instances of corruption, Lawyers for Human Rights and the African Centre for Migration and Society said in a report...
22 July 2015
(News)
Corruption Watch says it’s shocked by the findings of its latest investigations, which have revealed the extent of malpractice at refugee reception offices across the country.
On average, asylum seekers have reported being forced to pay at least four bribes to have their legal documents finalised.
Investigations have found that bribes are paid for a number of reasons, including directing...
22 July 2015
(News)
Calls have been made for a reform of the Home Affairs Department to end corruption at refugee reception offices.
On Wednesday, the African Centre for Migration and Society released a new report documenting shocking levels of corruption in South Africa’s asylum system.
Foreign nationals reportedly have to pay multiple bribes at reception offices to have their paperwork finalised.
Researchers...
22 July 2015
(News)
A report on corruption levels in South Africa’s asylum-seeking system, called Queue Here for Corruption, has found that almost one-third of refugees have experienced corruption at a refugee reception office. But it doesn’t begin there: the report finds that refugees are at the mercy of corrupt officials from the second they enter South Africa, a trend that continues as they attempt to...
21 July 2015
(News)
Allegations of beating and electrocution of prisoners in North West has sparked calls for torture charges to be laid against prison authorities.
The alleged assaults are being investigated by human rights lawyers, the Wits Justice Project, police and the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services.
Inmates at the Losperfontein prison outside Brits were allegedly beaten with batons, doused in...
18 July 2015
(News)
The conviction and subsequent 15-month incarceration of two men may have resulted in something good as the world will be watching what happens in Swaziland when it comes to the rule of law.
“I think our case in a way helped Swaziland to fix itself. Politicians may now be reluctant to phone judges and making deals with them at the risk of us reminding them what happened,” Bheki Makhubu...