South Africa Home Affairs Withdraws Directive On Intake of Asylum-Seeker Applications

Tsoanelo Sefoloko/GroundUp

Chaos erupted in Durban city centre during a march by hundreds of anti-immigrant protesters.

9 October 2026

SAnews.gov.za (Tshwane)

The Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn the directive regarding the intake of asylum-seeker applications.

The directive was issued to all Refugee Reception Offices (RROs) on 28 September 2026 as a purely operational measure to support the implementation of the Constitutional Court order of 7 July in the Scalabrini of Cape Town matter.

The department said the directive was issued without the knowledge of or consultation with the Minister of Home Affairs or any other political office bearer.

"Claims that it was a politically motivated decision are therefore categorically untrue, as the directive emanated from a Constitutional Court case that the department had opposed.

"However, the attempt to implement the judgment immediately had serious consequences that could not have been foreseen in the court order.

"These include, among other things, the fact that RRO operations were overwhelmed within days of the directive being issued, Home Affairs officials were placed at risk, and serious threats to public safety and order emerged," the Department of Home Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

With these new facts at hand, the department said it would embark on a fresh process to determine the most appropriate operational approach to ensure compliance with the Constitutional Court's order.

"The department reaffirms its respect for the judiciary and the rule of law, as well as its commitment to determining an operationally appropriate and sustainable method of complying with the order."

Read the original article on SAnews.gov.za.