Pretoria - The North and South Gauteng High Courts have dismissed with costs a case brought against the Home Affairs Department by a group of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
The department said the 19 Bangladeshi nationals were part of a group of 355 illegal immigrants of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Chinese origin arrested by immigration officials at Crown Mines in Johannesburg in January.
The applicants served the department with a notice of their intention to approach the court to order their release from the Lindela Repatriation Centre where they had been held, together with the other 336 illegal immigrants. They also sought a court order for the stay of their deportations.
The department opposed the applications in both the North and South Gauteng High Courts with the case subsequently struck off the court roll on Wednesday. The applicants were ordered to pay the department's legal costs.
Spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said 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.
