South Africa committed to protecting refugees: minister

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said Wednesday his country remains committed to protecting refugees.

Gigaba said South Africa does not have a refugee problem and the numbers which reside in the country are manageable.

He commemorated the World Refugee Day in an event organized at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg.

In the past, refugees were attacked by mobs of people who looted their shops and homes, accusing them of stealing their jobs. Some lost their lives and property.

South Africa hosts several thousand refugees from Africa and the Middle East.

Home Ministry officials were previously accused of soliciting bribes from the refugees to complete their documentation.

To fight corruption, the government has installed self service automated machines the Desmond Tutu Refugee Center in the capital Pretoria.

Gigaba said the government will continue to improve its institutional arrangements to identify and provide assistance to refugees.

Meanwhile, scores of protesters gathered outside the Lindela Refugees Detention Center, calling on the state to improve conditions of the refugees. Activists claim people live in crowded cells and are often mistreated.