Question NW27 to the Minister of Home Affairs
28 February 2024 - NW27
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)What (a) number of (i) refugees and (ii) asylum seekers have been living in the Republic since 1 January 2024 and (b) is the breakdown of the countries the specified refugees and asylum seekers come from; (2) what number of foreign nationals are in possession of temporary refugee and/or asylum seeker documentation; (3) what is the current average time it takes before a decision is communicated to confirm or deny the status of a refugee and/or asylum seeker based on temporary documentation?
Reply:
(1)(i) Below is the total number of refugees (Section 24 holders) with a valid visa as at 1 January 2024:
|
Country |
Total |
|
Afghanistan |
5 |
|
Algeria |
3 |
|
Angola |
21 |
|
Egypt |
4 |
|
Burundi |
2383 |
|
Benin |
3 |
|
Bangladesh |
169 |
|
Bahamas |
1 |
|
Cambodia |
1 |
|
Central African Republic |
8 |
|
Chad |
2 |
|
Cameroon |
291 |
|
Congo |
3739 |
|
DRC |
19834 |
|
Comoros |
1 |
|
Cuba |
1 |
|
Eritrea |
1317 |
|
Estonia |
3 |
|
Ethiopia |
13401 |
|
Palestine |
30 |
|
Ghana |
3 |
|
Guinea Bissau |
10 |
|
Ivory Coast |
17 |
|
India |
2 |
|
Iran |
1 |
|
Iraq |
7 |
|
Jordan |
3 |
|
Kenya |
118 |
|
Liberia |
45 |
|
Sri Lanka |
9 |
|
Macau |
2 |
|
Mali |
3 |
|
Malawi |
7 |
|
Morocco |
1 |
|
Niger |
3 |
|
Nigeria |
7 |
|
Oman |
1 |
|
Pakistan |
5 |
|
Russia |
9 |
|
Rwanda |
918 |
|
Senegal |
2 |
|
Sierra Leone |
12 |
|
Solomon Islands |
6 |
|
Somalia |
20743 |
|
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
1 |
|
Sudan |
71 |
|
Swaziland |
9 |
|
Sweden |
1 |
|
Syria |
39 |
|
Tanzania |
25 |
|
East Timor |
4 |
|
Togo |
9 |
|
Türkiye |
4 |
|
Uganda |
407 |
|
Ukraine |
2 |
|
Yemen |
4 |
|
Zambia |
51 |
|
Zimbabwe |
3373 |
|
Total |
67151 |
(1)(ii) Below is the total of Section 22 holders (Asylum seekers) with a valid visa as at 1 January 2024:
|
Country |
Total |
|
Afghanistan |
10 |
|
Algeria |
42 |
|
Angola |
4 |
|
Egypt |
88 |
|
Australia |
1 |
|
Bahrain |
2 |
|
Burundi |
5228 |
|
Benin |
10 |
|
Bangladesh |
9239 |
|
Bahamas |
5 |
|
Burkina Faso |
11 |
|
Botswana |
1 |
|
Bosnia |
1 |
|
Central African Republic |
2 |
|
Chad |
1 |
|
China |
13 |
|
Cameroon |
735 |
|
Congo |
3206 |
|
DRC |
22298 |
|
Comoros |
8 |
|
Colombia |
1 |
|
Eritrea |
823 |
|
Estonia |
2 |
|
Ethiopia |
25624 |
|
Gabon |
7 |
|
Gambia |
7 |
|
Palestine |
3 |
|
Ghana |
584 |
|
Guinea Bissau |
4 |
|
Guinea |
14 |
|
Croatia |
1 |
|
Hungary |
3 |
|
Ivory Coast |
33 |
|
India |
1846 |
|
Ireland |
1 |
|
Iran |
3 |
|
Iraq |
1 |
|
Israel |
3 |
|
Jamaica |
2 |
|
Jordan |
9 |
|
Kenya |
396 |
|
Liberia |
26 |
|
Libya |
1 |
|
Lesotho |
4 |
|
Sri Lanka |
6 |
|
Mali |
32 |
|
Malaysia |
1 |
|
Malawi |
627 |
|
Morocco |
3 |
|
Mozambique |
39 |
|
Mayotte |
1 |
|
Nepal |
76 |
|
Netherlands |
1 |
|
Niger |
153 |
|
Nigeria |
1468 |
|
New Zealand |
1 |
|
Pakistan |
3249 |
|
Russia |
1 |
|
Rwanda |
807 |
|
Senegal |
235 |
|
Sierra Leone |
5 |
|
Somalia |
4406 |
|
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
1 |
|
Sudan |
33 |
|
Suriname |
1 |
|
Slovenia |
1 |
|
Swaziland |
2 |
|
Syria |
13 |
|
Tanzania |
226 |
|
Thailand |
7 |
|
East Timor |
2 |
|
Togo |
5 |
|
Türkiye |
7 |
|
Uganda |
1785 |
|
Ukraine |
2 |
|
Uruguay |
1 |
|
Wallis and Futuna |
1 |
|
Yemen |
5 |
|
Zambia |
100 |
|
Zimbabwe |
3365 |
|
Total |
86971 |
2. For the current financial year, the Department makes a first instance decision on average within 7 days with more than 90% of cases adjudicated within 30 days.
3. In terms of the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs (SCRA) on average, it takes 180 days to review all matters submitted to SCRA. Currently due to high volumes of matters designated as manifestly unfounded, fraudulent and abusive, SCRA has less than 50 cases which have exceeded 180 days.
The Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa (RAASA) is a tribunal and its adjudication and finalisation of appeal cases is a bit complex. Over the years, RAASA became inundated with appeals which escalated around the period 2008, leading to the current backlog.
Every appeal case with its complexities is adjudicated on its own merits and the time to finalise thereof differs from one case to the other. However, individual members of the RAASA conduct about 3-5 appeal hearings a day to eradicate the backlog and this is subject to the Asylum Seeker honouring the set down date.
END