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Home Affairs RSDO centre
As the world commemorated World Refugee Day on Friday, support groups and human rights activists say refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa continue to be subjected to discrimination and xenophobic attacks.
They say that corruption and outdated systems at some government departments, including Home Affairs, make it difficult for them to obtain legal documentation.
Human Rights Activist Claude Marie Bernard adds that corruption also stands in their way of receiving legal documentation.
“Let us not forget Covid-19 when offices closed down and systems went dark and thousands could not register, some of them couldn’t renew their papers because not because they vanished but because the state did. To now criminalise them is not only unjust, it’s absurd. We therefore call for a one-time amnesty for those who lost documentation through government failure.”
Home Affairs Department’s Sipho Zondi says they are aware of the backlogs in the processing of documents, and they are working around the clock to combat these.
“Our colleagues are working overtime; they are attempting to process as many documents as they can. These challenges are not unique to the citizens of the country or refugees. So, we need to work hand in hand to achieve our common goal of addressing the backlogs.”
On World Refugee Day, we honor the millions of #refugees forced to flee. Despite the challenges, they demonstrate exceptional courage. We must transcend solidarity beyond words and work to support and integrate them.
Watch @antonioguterres‘s message on #WorldRefugeeDay2025👇👇 pic.twitter.com/qA7E19GtYZ— UN Yemen (@UNinYE) June 20, 2025
