RefugeeLaw

21/10/2022

New Refugee Reception Office coming up in Epping (WC)

After a court battle lasting ten years, the new centre is set to open next year

23/07/2022

The court confirmed, on appeal, that a Sudanese citizen was unlawfully detained at the Lindela Repatriation Centre where he was kept for more than six months awaiting repatriation after his name was cleared on fraud charges.

20/07/2022

The government is adopting a zero-tolerance stance on the hiring of illegal foreign workers in South Africa, says Ben Makhalemele, deputy director of corporate accounts at the Department of Home Affairs.

11/04/2022

Online process for new applications for asylum within South Africa

02/04/2022

A group of asylum-seekers and refugees, dressed in traditional regalia, rolled out a red carpet as part of their demonstration outside Parliament. They demanded that Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi reopen all refugee reception offices in the country.

18/03/2022

Roy Kamushinda had to spend 21 days in appalling conditions behind bars - simply because both the police and Home Affairs refused to look at his valid refugee permit.

11/03/2022

Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza said that the refugee reception offices would open again, but did not give an exact date or say how long the online system would stay in place. Anyone who has applied to renew their permit but not received a response “is requested to resubmit”.

When her South African refugee permit expired last June, Congolese national Marseline Buhoro started getting calls from her bank in Johannesburg saying her account was about to be frozen.

18/02/2022

Judge Phooko underlined that, when people approached state institutions, such as Home Affairs, they expected a certain level of service and care, not indifference.

He pointed out the courts were flooded with applications from people who could not get any answers from the department, regarding their legal status in the country.

15/02/2022

Home Affairs has opened services for South Africans but asylum seekers remain shut out

30/01/2022

Home Affairs has reopened its PR section and applications for PR may now be filed via VFS centers. The year 2025 mentioned in the article below seems overly pessimistic though.

South Africa's department of home affairs has reopened applications for permanent residency permits, but is still dealing with a huge backlog.