Asylum seekers protest in Gqeberha

Hundreds of Ethiopian and Eritrean asylum seekers protested in Gqeberha on Wednesday. Photo: Joseph Chirume

About 400 asylum seekers demonstrated outside the refugee reception office in Gqeberha on Wednesday, demanding that such offices reopen across the country.

They cited a Constitutional Court judgment in July 2026 that asylum seekers may not be deported if they are undocumented because they have not been able to fully access the asylum system.

Refugee reception offices have been effectively closed since covid. Renewals are done on an online system, while new applicants are effectively unable to access the asylum system.

The group mainly consisted of people from Ethiopia and Eritrea. Their memorandum called for the reopening of reception offices within 14 days, and said they would return to protest again should that not happen.

“Today, we have started with asylum seekers from Eritrea and Ethiopia for logistical reasons, but we will involve all asylum seekers next time,” said an Ethiopian man, who asked to remain anonymous. “People are having problems renewing their papers and we have new applicants who are shut out because the offices are closed.”

He said he was unable to renew his permit and so could not register at the university where he is enrolled.

The demonstration was organised by the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre. Linton Harmse, the centre’s director, said asylum seekers “are subjected to arrests and detentions. They’re undocumented, not because of their failures but because of the failure by the Department of Home Affairs.”

“There are people with asylum permits that have expired, but have applied before the expiry dates of their permits and have not been processed. The online renewal process is not working.”

“Asylum seekers are then accosted by immigration and police officers and get arrested. Some people have lost their jobs because their permits have expired and employers are afraid to continue hiring them. Some have had their bank accounts frozen because permits expired; lease agreements are being terminated.”

Tibebu Solomon, from Ethiopia, told GroundUp that he came to South Africa in 2015. “Some years back [Home Affairs] used to renew our permits in two weeks’ time or less, but now they are not even acknowledging receipt of applications.”

The memofre was received by Gqeberha Refugee Reception Office Manager Sabelo Ngxithu.

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