Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said government is against illegal immigration and wants people to enter South Africa through legal channels.
She was answering questions at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, according to SAnews. Ntshavheni said people who want refuge in the country must use the official asylum process.
“As government, we are anti-illegal immigration. Let’s be very clear. We want people to come into the country legally,” Ntshavheni said.
“For those who come in irregularly because they want to seek refuge in South Africa … there is a process to facilitate that. We are not, as government, in a different position,” she added.
The Minister said government is rebuilding systems to manage migration better. She pointed to the Border Management Authority and plans to rebuild border infrastructure. She said government is also documenting and deporting people with no legal right to stay.
Ntshavheni also spoke about the “first country of safety” principle. She said people seeking protection should generally ask for asylum in the first safe country they reach.
She said South Africa is surrounded by countries generally seen as safe. She named Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini, Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana.
According to the Minister, the asylum system should protect people who truly meet the legal requirements for refugee status. She said it should not become a route for people who do not qualify.
“There is no economic refugee under our Constitution, our laws and under the United Nations conventions. A refugee is somebody who is running away from war and persecution,” Ntshavheni said.
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration. She said directives issued by Home Affairs after a Constitutional Court judgment were not shared with the committee before they were put in place.
Kubayi said the committee had agreed that decisions affecting its work should be brought to it in future. She said the matter showed the need for stronger coordination across government on migration.
Kubayi said the committee supports a request to extend the mandate of the Special Investigating Unit. This would allow the SIU to probe the asylum system and Refugee Reception Offices.
According to SAnews, the SIU’s work has already led to officials being dismissed. Some of them now face criminal cases.
Home Affairs Director-General Tommy Makhode said data analysis found people who received permits despite allegedly not qualifying. He said the department has started steps to withdraw those statuses.
Makhode said the department must follow due process. Affected people will be notified and allowed to make representations. He said some cases were referred to the National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks.
On the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit, Makhode said public consultations on its future have been completed. He said government will follow due process before making a decision.
Makhode said rejected asylum seekers can still appeal through the refugee appeals authorities.
Kubayi said the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection has been adopted as government policy. New laws are now being drafted to close gaps between the country’s migration laws.
She said the law reform is needed but admitted that public participation and the law-making process could take a long time.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.