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The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has noted the findings of the South African Human Rights Commission into violation of access to healthcare at the Lindela Repatriation Centre. The findings follow a South Gauteng High Court judgment that the detention practices at the centre were illegal and unconstitutional.

The committee is concerned that the centre is turning into a place of human rights abuses which cannot be condoned. These two findings seem to further suggest that the overall practices at the centre are questionable and undermine the mainstay of South Africa’s democracy, the Bill of rights, which protects everyone within the borders of the country.

While primarily, the committee will hold the Department of Home Affairs responsible for these alleged human rights abuses as the accounting department, the Department of Health must also take some responsibility because the provision of healthcare remains their territory. The committee is of the view that the two departments must work together to implement recommendations as suggested by the South African Human Rights Commission.

The committee will for its part strengthen its oversight role on the facility and will request continuous updates from the Department of Home Affairs on its response to the report and intervention mechanisms to address the findings and the South Gauteng High Court judgment.

Issued by: Parliament of South Africa