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Today, I will be writing to the Minister of Home Affairs, Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma, to request a full inquiry into the state of service in Refugee Reception Centres.

This comes after a 33-year-old Bangladeshi reportedly died in a Home Affairs queue at the Maitland Refugee Reception Centre yesterday while waiting to get his asylum-seeking documents.

People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty (Passop) pointed out that people could clearly see that the man was ill. They had reportedly asked Home Affairs officials to let the man go inside and be assisted first, but this was denied.

Tragically, by the time officials eventually let him in, it was too late.

As the country that receives the largest number of individual asylum applications in the world – approximately 250 000 a year – South Africa should be employing an effective and efficient management system when refugees seek sanctuary in our country. This starting point needs to be service at Refugee Reception Centres.

These centres are well known for having lengthy queues in which people are subjected to scorching heat with no access to water. Vendors and hawkers are also prohibited from setting up stalls to sell food. These are unacceptable conditions.

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, South Africa is obligated to respect and protect the human rights of refugees and of those seeking asylum in our country.

This event is a reflection of the Department’s poor commitment to protect the rights of people who turn to us for protection.