PASSOP Press Conference

Venue: Human Rights Commission 132 Adderley Street,7th ABSA building, Cape Town

Time: 10am-11am Thursday 19 June

All members of the media are invited

PASSOP, South African Human Rights Commission and the Adonis Musati Project

Press Statement

1. We demand a National Moratorium on Deportation until the following minimum requirements are met:

* A new Cape Town pick up point be established for all immigrants wanting to apply for asylum, with better conditions ;
* An end to mistreatment of immigrants by the Department of Home Affairs;
* An end to selling of queue positions at the Cape Town Refugee Centre pick up point, which has resulted in numerous assaults and at least 1 murder by gangs managing the queues;
* All immigrants wanting to apply for asylum at any refugee reception centre in South Africa be able to do so by queuing during office hours for no longer than 14 days;
* The Cape Town Refugee Centre management explain how they were able to receive between 180 and 240 applications a day and only pick up between 60 and 120 immigrants a day at the official pick up point;
* Security be present at all times while immigrants are queuing ;
* All displaced immigrants be issued acceptable replacement documents;
* Security and transport from the CBD be offered to immigrants needing to go to the Nyanga office in Cape Town, until all xenophobic attacks have stopped.

2. Adonis Musati Project is struggling to feed the immigrants because of gang hostility at the Cape Town Refugee Centre.

3. PASSOP warns that Zimbabweans will flood into South Africa if there is no change of president on the 27th of June.

4. HRC reports that conditions in Refugee Reception Centre queues are worse than any of the camps housing the displaced.

PASSOP-Braam Hanekom 0832561140

SAHRC- Judith Cohen 0832841115

AMP- Gallia Brogs 0835577420 Brian Watson 0833451336