DURBAN - Tensions are running high at Refugee Reception Centres as staff process new asylum applications.
On Wednesday, anti-illegal immigration groups blocked access to a refugee reception centre in Durban.
The disruption comes as Home Affairs offices resume processing new asylum applications following a major Constitutional Court ruling.
In July, the Constitutional Court struck down parts of the Refugees Act that had created procedural barriers for people seeking asylum.
One of the provisions required asylum seekers without the correct documentation to show “good cause” before they could submit an application.
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Following the judgment, the Department of Home Affairs directed Refugee Reception Offices to process new asylum applications.
The department says it is implementing a binding Constitutional Court judgment, despite having opposed the case during the court proceedings.
Home Affairs has also rejected claims that the ruling automatically grants asylum seekers citizenship or blanket legal status in South Africa.
The department says “nefarious actors” are spreading disinformation about what the judgment means and how government is responding to it.
The developments come as South Africa intensifies efforts to address irregular migration.
In June alone, more than 15,000 foreign nationals were processed for deportation or voluntary repatriation.