The Department of Home Affairs on Wednesday 2 February 2011, welcomed the decision of the North and South Gauteng High Courts to strike off the roll and award costs, against 19 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who brought a case against the department.
The 19 Bangladeshi nationals are part of a group of 355 illegal immigrants of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Chinese origin arrested by Home Affairs immigration officials in Crown Mines in Johannesburg in January this year.
The applicants served the department with a notice of their intention to approach the court to order the department to release them from the Lindela Repatriation Centre where they have been held, together with the other 336 illegal immigrants, since their arrest last month. They also sought a court order for the stay of their deportations.
The court application was served on the department on Friday 28 January 2011. The department opposed the applications in both the North and South Gauteng High Courts during matters set down for hearing today Wednesday 2 February.
The case was struck off the court roll with the applicants being ordered by the court to pay the department’s legal costs.
The 19 Bangladeshi nationals will, accordingly be deported as soon as arrangements have been finalised while the remaining 336 illegal immigrants will be held at the Lindela Repatriation Centre until they too can be deported to their countries of origin.
