Wednesday, 10 November 2010 08:43
EMMAH NGOMANE
JOHANNESBURG - Refugees and asylum seekers in Gauteng will now be able to access their bank accounts using their permits, Lawyers of Humans Rights (LHR) said yesterday.
This comes after a court ruling by the South Gauteng High Court yesterday, preventing banks from denying foreign nationals with refugee and asylum seeker permits access to bank accounts.
The ruling follows a statement issued by the Financial Intelligence Service (FIC) in May, which stated that the permits issued to asylum seekers and refugees “did not meet the requirements of an identity document”. The FIC dismissed the permits as insufficient and foreign nationals were then unable to open bank accounts.
“A number of our clients were denied access to their previously existing accounts and there was money withheld by the bank. It also prevented many from opening new accounts,” said David Cote of LHR.
The department of home affairs remains optimistic in meeting the December cut-off date to regularise all Zimbabweans living in SA.
Spokesman for home affairs, Mzwandile Radebe, said despite fears, contingency plans had been put forward to guarantee the December 31 deadline is met.
emmahn@citizen.co.za
The Citizen
Comments by Sonny
What about all the criminals with cloned Identities and stolen Identity Documents??
They walk away scott free!
Home Affairs is a dismal mess!
No comments:
Post a Comment