for an interview as an asylum seeker only to be referred to a notice that they were no longer taking new applicants,” said a distraught Aleke Banda from Malawi.
Other asylum seekers lamented this untimely suspension of new bookings, saying they were now in a predicament since they could not go back to their native countries due to political and religious persecution.
“We can not go back to our mother countries as we fear death there. We hoped that South Africa would give us a new breath. This news comes as a shock,” said Joseph Tembo from Mozambique.
A senior officer speaking on condition of anonymity said that the move had been necessitated by the need to clear the backlog at the Refugee Section.
“Our bookings are now six or eight months away and it is imperative that we clear those in the queue before taking in any new applicants,” said the officer.
He said they empathised with those caught in the unfortunate situation, but there was nothing they could do and asked those turned away from the Joburg office to try their luck at places like Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.-CAJ News
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