Thousands of refugee appeals cleared as Home Affairs overhauls asylum system
The Department of Home Affairs said reforms aimed at fixing long-standing challenges in South Africa’s asylum system are starting to show results, with thousands of unresolved refugee appeals now cleared.
Minister Leon Schreiber said that through changes implemented at the Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa (RAASA), the active appeals caseload has been reduced by more than 12%, marking the biggest decline in years.
Schreiber revealed that RAASA has appointed 40 additional advocate members, increased the number of hearings held daily, and introduced targeted approaches to deal with complex and high-volume cases more efficiently.
The authority has also strengthened its partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to improve the consistency of decisions, while additional advocates from the Cape Bar are being brought in to support the Western Cape’s workload.
Schreiber said while challenges remain, the changes are helping to transform a system that has struggled with delays for years.
“While we still have a way to go, efficiency gains have already produced the biggest reduction in the refugee appeals backlog in years. The onboarding of additional capacity in partnership with the legal fraternity, as well as the recent judgement of the Constitutional Court against repeat applications, puts us on track to make further progress on this decades-old problem.”
Schreiber said clearing the backlog was important for both asylum seekers and the broader public by ensuring claims are dealt with faster and more effectively.
“Clearing these backlogs and ensuring more efficient processes is in the interest of both applicants and society at large. The reforms at RAASA are helping to restore integrity to the asylum system by expanding adjudication capacity, improving efficiency, and ensuring that genuine claims are resolved more quickly.”
The department said the reforms form part of wider efforts to create a more efficient and accountable immigration system.
