After rescheduling the last two oral submissions on the Immigration Amendment Bill, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has once again extended the submission deadline, to next week Tuesday.

The committee said this was to ensure the “fairness” of the process and to allow organisations and individuals adequate and equal opportunity to make submissions.

The committee received a number of oral submissions on the Bill on Tuesday and resolved that to allow adequate time for interaction it was necessary to defer the remaining inputs to next week.

“This will enable members to ask question of clarity and seek further information on the submissions made,” explained committee chairperson Mosa Chabane.

The Immigration Amendment Bill aims to amend the Immigration Act, 2002, to revise provisions relating to the arrest and detention of illegal foreigners for purposes of deportation and to align these provisions with constitutional principles.

Chabane said the submissions received so far had underscored the correctness of public participation in the law-making process as members of the committee had been “qualitatively enlightened” on the objects of the Bill and aspects to consider while processing the Bill.

The committee has received 378 submissions from individuals, organisations, civil society groups and legal institutions with a variety of submissions from those calling for stricter immigration control, to those raising human rights concerns and constitutional compliance.

The submissions were from amongst others; Lawyers for Human Rights and International Detention Centre, South African Human Rights Commission, Centre for Social Justice, Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, Commission for Gender Equality, United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees, and the African National Congress.

The committee would schedule next week to receive submissions from Clayville Civic Association and the Congress of the South African Trade Unions, Chabane said.