South Africa’s (SA) Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs concludes a two-day oversight visit to the Beitbridge Port of Entry in Limpopo Province today.
The visit comes amid heightened scrutiny of the SA’s immigration management systems following recent anti-immigration mobilisation and calls for the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.
The committee’s oversight programme began at the Musina Repatriation Centre, where concerns have been raised about overcrowding, administrative capacity and the humanitarian conditions facing migrants being processed for voluntary return or deportation.
The temporary repatriation facilities in Musina have experienced increased activity over the past week, as documented and undocumented foreign nationals sought accommodation and assistance ahead of last week’s planned national shutdown.
The committee says its visit is aimed at assessing whether government departments are managing the situation in line with immigration laws, constitutional obligations and human rights standards.
Border Management Authority Commissioner Doctor Michael Masiapato says officials will demonstrate the mechanisms used to track and process deportees, while also showing the safeguards intended to prevent those who have been deported from re-entering SA illegally.
–SABC–
