REFUGEE RECEPTION CENTRE
Asylum seekers ‘treated like dogs’ at Desmond Tutu refugee centre
The Desmond Tutu refugee reception centre in Marabastad‚ Pretoria is a living hell in which asylum seekers are subjected to ill-treatment and daily demands for bribes. This is according to an asylum seeker‚ who spoke to Business Day through a fence at the facility‚ saying they even fall victim to thieves. "We were waiting outside and somebody came and took everything from us‚" he said. Inside the centre they face pressure to hand over cash to rude officials. "They treat us like dogs. They have disrespect for us. If you don’t have money then you don’t get asylum. You have to pay every day you come here. If you don’t give money‚ you don’t get asylum. It is five weeks that I’ve been coming here‚" said the man‚ from Bangladesh. The man‚ who runs a shop in Bloemfontein‚ has to renew his asylum papers as they expire on Tuesday. Some asylum seekers come from as far as Kimberley to seek an extension to their refugee status in SA. On Monday DA provincial leader John Moody visited the facilit...
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