Hundreds of asylum seekers gathered in front of the Department of Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre in Durban, located on Che Guevara Street. These protests took place on Wednesday when hundreds of asylum seekers blocked traffic on Che Guevara Street.
Tension around the centre is expected to be high, as on Tuesday asylum seekers were turned away by the 'Mart' and 'Mart' anti-illegal immigration movement.
This ban followed the Department of Home Affairs issuing a directive requiring Refugee Reception Offices to accept individuals who personally approach and declare their wish to apply for asylum. This directive was adopted after a Constitutional Court ruling in July that declared unconstitutional and invalid provisions of the Refugees Act which create obstacles for persons who entered South Africa illegally or failed to apply within the stipulated time frame.
At the same time, the Department of Home Affairs reported on Tuesday that it processed 3994 new asylum applications out of a total of 4997 applications received at the Refugee Status Determination Officer (RSDO) level. The department's annual report for the 2025/2026 financial year was presented to the Department of Home Affairs Portfolio Committee.
According to statistics from the submitted report, the department reviewed 3994 applications within 30 working days from the date of registration in the asylum management system. These figures are expected to increase in the 2026/2027 financial year in line with the DHA's digitization strategy.
The CEO of Home Affairs, Livhuani Tommy Makhode, stated that 48,989 people were deported during the financial year. He noted that illegal entry and residence in South Africa during the reporting period were mainly comprised of citizens from Zimbabwe (4508), Malawi (3487), Mozambique (3325), and Lesotho (1664).