{"id":5765,"date":"2026-07-01T10:24:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T08:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/?p=5765"},"modified":"2026-07-02T01:20:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T23:20:31","slug":"asylum-seekers-trapped-in-sa-home-affairs-living-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/01\/asylum-seekers-trapped-in-sa-home-affairs-living-nightmare\/","title":{"rendered":"Asylum Seekers trapped in SA Home Affairs &#8216;living nightmare&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Muslim asylum seeker from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire who tried to update his documentation says he has become trapped in what he describes as an \u201coverwhelming bureaucratic nightmare\u201d at South Africa\u2019s Department of Home Affairs (DHA).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Africa hosts migrants from across the world, particularly from other African countries and parts of Asia. But for many, the hope of building a better life is quickly undermined by the realities of navigating the country\u2019s immigration system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Strict visa requirements, chronic processing delays, allegations of corruption and systemic inefficiencies have left thousands of migrants in legal limbo. In many cases, people who entered the country lawfully or maintained valid documentation for years find themselves becoming undocumented through no fault of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ivorian asylum seeker, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, recounted his experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I went to apply for asylum at the Desmond Tutu Refugee Reception Centre, officials asked me several questions about my religion and why I chose to come to South Africa instead of a Muslim country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was eventually given a Section 22 permit, which I renewed for more than 10 years, until it expired during Covid-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI tried to renew it online but received no response. When I went to renew it physically after Covid, I was given a rejection letter. I appealed the decision and, to this day, I have still received no outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bongani Mkhwananzi, spokesperson for the African Diaspora Forum (ADF), a coalition representing migrant communities from Africa and East Asia, said migrants continue to face several persistent challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cExcessive adjudication delays on visa waiver and appeal applications, often lasting years; the requirement for long-term residents to leave South Africa and apply from their country of origin despite having established lives, businesses and families here; and difficulty accessing predictable and efficient services at Home Affairs and Refugee Reception Offices are among the most pressing concerns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Mkhwananzi, these challenges lead to repeated renewals, prolonged uncertainty and significant financial hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable. Applicants are issued Section 22 permits, which allow temporary legal residence while asylum claims are processed. However, these permits often require renewal every three or six months, a process many describe as chaotic and exhausting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Migrants frequently spend days in queues only to be told to return weeks later. Unpredictable office closures, lost files and long waiting periods further compound the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In many cases, permits expire while individuals are still waiting for renewals, exposing them to arrest, extortion, detention at facilities such as Lindela Repatriation Centre, job losses and denial of essential services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those applying for work, business or critical skills visas face similar frustrations, including prolonged waiting periods, repeated requests for additional documents months after submission and refusals with little explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor asylum seekers, repeated renewals and delays in finalising claims remain a major concern. For visa applicants, long processing times can leave people in legal limbo even where applications were submitted correctly and on time,\u201d Mkhwananzi explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The human impact on long-term residents can be devastating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA person may have lived in South Africa for 10 or 20 years, raised children here, paid taxes and contributed to the economy, yet still find themselves renewing temporary documents every few months while waiting years for an outcome,\u201d said Mkhwananzi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis creates instability not only for migrants but also for employers, schools and families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many migrants struggle to secure loans, sign long-term leases, travel freely or make long-term plans with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Human rights organisations have repeatedly challenged failures within the immigration system through the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawyers for Human Rights has litigated against unlawful detentions, failures to renew permits and systemic backlogs, while the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) has documented abuses and advocated for greater accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Courts have, on several occasions, issued orders extending permits, criticised Home Affairs for administrative inefficiencies and reaffirmed migrants\u2019 constitutional rights. However, implementation of these rulings has often been slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some Muslim migrants also report experiencing additional scrutiny linked to their faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the ADF says there is insufficient evidence to conclude that Home Affairs systematically discriminates against Muslim applicants, Mkhwananzi acknowledged that such complaints have been raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cADF does not have sufficient evidence to conclude that Home Affairs has an official policy or systematic practice of treating Muslim migrants differently, but some Muslim applicants have reported feeling that they receive additional questioning regarding their travel history, religious affiliations or countries of origin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe broader problem, however, remains a system that is slow and inconsistent for many migrants regardless of faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that while some Muslim applicants report encountering stereotypes or additional questioning, the central issue remains systemic dysfunction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHijabs are generally accommodated for identification purposes provided faces remain visible, and halal businesses or religious institutions are assessed according to standard legal requirements. Challenges affecting children generally stem from their parents\u2019 documentation status rather than religion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mkhwananzi stressed that all applicants should be treated equally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur position is that all applicants should be assessed solely on the merits of their applications, regardless of religion, nationality, ethnicity or appearance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking ahead, Mkhwananzi proposed 2 urgent reforms for the Department of Home Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFirst, establish clear and enforceable adjudication timelines for all visa, waiver, appeal and asylum applications, with automatic status protection while applications remain pending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSecond, create a pathway that allows long-term, law-abiding residents with substantial ties to South Africa \u2014 including family connections, employment histories and economic contributions \u2014 to regularise their status from within the country, without requiring them to leave and apply abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Africa\u2019s Constitution and Refugees Act promise protection, dignity and due process. Yet persistent bureaucratic dysfunction continues to undermine these guarantees, creating conditions that fuel exploitation, uncertainty and, at times, xenophobic sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without meaningful reform, increased staffing, greater digitisation, stronger anti-corruption measures and fair pathways to regularisation, many migrants fear the bureaucratic nightmare will continue \u2014 with consequences not only for migrants themselves, but also for the broader society they help sustain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Muslim asylum seeker from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire who tried to update his documentation says he has become trapped in what he describes as an \u201coverwhelming bureaucratic nightmare\u201d at South Africa\u2019s Department of Home Affairs (DHA). South Africa hosts migrants from across the world, particularly from other African countries and parts of Asia. But for many, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[896,13],"tags":[519,932,930,931,929,805,455,928],"class_list":["post-5765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-migration","category-south-africa","tag-1-nation-media","tag-adf","tag-asylum-seeker","tag-dha","tag-home-affairs","tag-migrants","tag-onm","tag-soiuth-africa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Asylum Seekers trapped in SA Home Affairs &#039;living nightmare&#039; - 1 Nation Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/1nationmedia.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/01\/asylum-seekers-trapped-in-sa-home-affairs-living-nightmare\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Asylum Seekers trapped in SA Home Affairs &#039;living nightmare&#039; - 1 Nation Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Muslim asylum seeker from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire who tried to update his documentation says he has become trapped in what he describes as an \u201coverwhelming bureaucratic nightmare\u201d at South Africa\u2019s Department of Home Affairs (DHA). 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