Home Affairs moves asylum desks to Beitbridge and plans to close Tshwane office

Refugee reception services are set to move closer to the country’s major border points, with a new Refugee Reception Office planned at the Beitbridge Port of Entry and the Tshwane Refugee Reception Office facing disestablishment.

The proposals sit in a Government Gazette published by the Department of Home Affairs on Friday, and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration (IMC) has welcomed their publication. The Gazette also proposes that a specified category of asylum seekers be required to report to, or be processed through, the Beitbridge office for registration, documentation, adjudication, renewal of permits, updating of records or related asylum functions.

The IMC, chaired by Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, said the proposals form part of a broader programme to modernise and strengthen asylum and migration management while improving border management and ensuring compliance with constitutional and international obligations toward refugees and asylum seekers. The committee said it had previously indicated a phased approach to relocating refugee reception functions closer to ports of entry and border areas, outlined at its public briefing on migration management reforms.

According to the IMC, Home Affairs has identified the need to improve the administration of asylum applications, strengthen identity verification, enhance security screening and reduce opportunities for abuse of the asylum system. The proposed Beitbridge office is intended to register and process asylum seekers closer to a major port of entry, strengthen border management and migration governance, improve access to immigration and asylum services at a strategic border location, improve coordination between immigration, refugee-status determination and border management, and support more efficient processing and adjudication of claims.

The committee placed the proposed closure of the Tshwane office in the context of a wider reconfiguration of refugee reception services aimed at improving operational efficiency and aligning service delivery with government’s migration management strategy.

The IMC said the proposed reporting requirements are meant to improve administrative efficiency, ensure accurate record-keeping, strengthen biometric verification and support effective case management. “The proposals do not alter the legal rights and protections available to asylum seekers under South African law,” the committee said.

Affected individuals will be given details on which categories of people must report at Beitbridge, the applicable implementation dates, transitional arrangements, documentation requirements, reporting procedures and mechanisms for assistance and enquiries.

The Gazette opens a public participation process, and the IMC has encouraged refugees and asylum seekers, civil society organisations, the public, legal practitioners and academic institutions to study the proposals and take part in the consultation. Written submissions must be addressed to the Chief Director: Legal Services, marked for the attention of Advocate Moses Malakate, and reach Home Affairs on or before 30 November 2026. They may be delivered by hand to the DHA at the Hallmark Building, 230 Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Pretoria, mailed to Private Bag X114, Pretoria, 0001, or emailed to Moses.Malakate@dha.gov.za. Enquiries go to Advocate Malakate on (012) 406 4023 or (012) 406 4273.

“Government remains committed to ensuring that any final decisions are informed by stakeholder input, operational considerations, constitutional principles and South Africa’s international obligations,” the IMC said. It said the measures aim at a migration management system that is secure, lawful, efficient and humane, and that South Africa will continue to uphold its obligations under national legislation, the Constitution, the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa while strengthening the integrity of its immigration and asylum systems.

The committee said it remains committed to supporting Home Affairs in implementing reforms that improve service delivery, promote national security, combat fraud and ensure that people with legitimate claims to international protection get a fair and efficient asylum process. The Gazette is available at https://www.gpwonline.co.za/government-gazettes-4/.

This report is drawn from the SAnews (South African Government News Agency) summary of the announcement rather than the Gazette text itself. The full proposals, including the category of asylum seekers affected and the implementation dates, are set out in the Gazette. Source: https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/proposals-relocate-refugee-reception-services