Graph 5- People that were told they were illegal by a police officer, not an immigration
official
In Limpopo, 19 people (83%) said that they were not given a deportation form to sign. In
Gauteng, 34 people (70%, while in the Western Cape, the percentage was lower with
54 people (45%) saying that they had not been given a deportation form to sign. The
number of people that this was explained to was extremely low in all cases. Gauteng
had the most respondents, 35 people, who reported the form being explained to them in
a language they understand, In Limpopo, nobody said that the form was explained to
them, while in Western Cape only 5% said that it was.
Graph 6- Individuals who had been informed that this form gave them the right to appeal and that
their detention was to be confirmed by a warrant of the court
Detention
The detention stage in the deportation process was found to be littered with abuse,
neglect and failure to respect the rule of law. Detainees held in Lindela, reported not
going through any medical screening before detention. Data shows an almost complete
lack of access to medical services, including ARV’s. The length of detention is of
serious concern; it was common to hear of detainees who have been in Lindela for
longer than 120 days. Several reports, including from legal professionals described a
release and re-arrest cycle of immigrants used in order to circumvent the 120 day
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