Likewise, internal conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo imperils the lives and livelihoods of millions of Congolese. With the lowest Human Development Index in the world, Congo has among the poorest educational, economic and humanitarian conditions of any country.24 Those living in the troubled eastern region are under constant threat of beating, murder and rape by a plethora of violent armed groups. Seeking a better environment in which to live and raise their children, thousands of Congolese seek asylum in South Africa.25 iv. Difficulties with Access to Documentation “No documents, I don’t have money to pay for the fines being charged by the department of Home Affairs (2500 rand) to renew my expired asylum seeker permit” a) Asylum Seekers and Refugees Regularizing the immigration status of all of these asylum applicants puts a lot of pressure on the Department of Home Affairs, which has been consistently operating under-capacity in comparison to the number of people applying for papers. In May 2011, PASSOP released a monitoring report detailing the difficulties in accessing documentation for asylum seekers and refugees. “The Road to Documentation: Asylum-Seekers’ Access to Cape Town’s Refugee Reception Centre” illustrated the complexities, frustrations, corruption, violence and lack of capacity in the documentation process.26 The report resulted in some changes being made to the Maitland Refugee Reception Centre (RRC), including the removal of the centre manager and changing of the security company, but they appear to be superficial and have not yet proven effective. As of April 2012, the refugee appeals board was backlogged by over 166,000 asylum applications waiting to be reviewed.27 According to Minister Apleni, the department receives an average of 3,500 to 4,000 new applications per month.28 This in itself is significantly less than the 180 000 reported in 2010, but there still remains a huge delay in issuing asylum certificates, thus rendering these applicants illegal, leaving them vulnerable to arrest and deportation.29 However, these numbers do not reflect the 24 "Human Development Report 2011 - Human development statistical annex.” HDRO (Human Development Report Office), United Nations Development Programme. pp. 27–130. 25 "D.R. Congo." Refugees International. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://www.refintl.org/where-wework/africa/dr-congo> 26 PASSOP: The Road to Documentation: Asylum-Seekers’ Access to Cape Town’s Refugee Reception Centre. Report. Cape Town: May 2011. 27 South African Government Information. Speaking notes for weekly media briefing by Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni. 12 April 2012. <http://www.info.gov.za/speech/DynamicAction? pageid=461&sid=26595&tid=64246> 28 South African Government Information. Speaking notes for weekly media briefing by Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni. 12 April 2012. <http://www.info.gov.za/speech/DynamicAction? pageid=461&sid=26595&tid=64246> 29 UNHCR. Submission to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Compilation Report – Universal Periodic Review: South Africa. 2011. P. 1. 13