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PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
HOME AFFAIRS
REGIONAL MIGRATION TRENDS AND REGIONAL
INTEGRATION
5 MAY 2015

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
1. Purpose of the Presentation
2. Background: Regional Migration Trends
3. SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement
4. DHA Asylum Seeker Management Mandate
5. Enabling documents for Refugees
6. Asylum trends for the 2014 calendar year
7. Towards a Regional Framework on the Management of Asylum
Seekers and Refugees
8. Stakeholder engagements on integration
9. Zimbabwe Special Dispensation

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1. PURPOSE
• To provide information on regional migration trends to South
Africa and South Africa’s position in relation to the SADC
Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons
• To provide the latest 2014 asylum trends to South Africa
based on data of Home Affairs and the participation of the
Department of Home Affairs in regional integration efforts as
they relate to asylum seekers and refugees
• To provide information on the Zimbabwe Special Dispensation
project as a means to relieve the pressure on the asylum
determination regime and document Zimbabwean nationals
residing in South Africa under the Immigration Act

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2. BACKGROUND: REGIONAL MIGRATION TRENDS
 After 1994 an increased flow of foreign nationals helped
growth through trade, skills, investment and tourism.
 Globalisation also brings serious risks and threats such as
trafficking in people, drugs, contraband and various species.
 South Africa’s level of development is a pull factor for
economic migrants, most of whom follow historical patterns
of labour migration within Southern Africa.
 Wars and conflicts have also increased the numbers of
asylum seekers and refugees requiring protection.

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• SA receives various categories of international migrants from
almost all regions of the world. In 2014, South Africa recorded
over 27 million arrivals and departures.
• At least 90% of the movements involve SADC nationals. Thus,
South Africa needs to improve its immigration system so that it
facilitates movement of desirable migrants.
• In addition to visiting South Africa, significant numbers of SADC
nationals transit through SA to the continent and the world.
• South Africa’s migration profile includes international migrants
with critical skills, low skills, capital investment and those who are
in need of asylum and humanitarian protection.
2. REGIONAL MIGRATION TRENDS

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2. REGIONAL MIGRATION TRENDS
Movement of top 10 nationalities in 2014: Arrivals and Departures
Nationality Total
Zimbabwe 6 612 361
Lesotho 5 946 659
Mozambique 4 050 679
Swaziland 3 102 978
Botswana 1 944 262
United kingdom 1 025 571
United states of America 736 577
Germany 617 888
Namibia 538 018
Zambia 388 529
Total 24 963 522
Total Movement (of ALL countries) 27 513 331
% Top 10 out of Total movement 90.73%
% of SADC Countries Movement in Top 10 90.47%

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3. SADC PROTOCOL ON THE FACILITATION OF
MOVEMENT OF PERSONS
 South Africa has signed and ratified the SADC Protocol on the
Facilitation of Movement of Persons.
 In addition to South Africa, only Botswana, Mozambique,
Swaziland and Zambia have ratified the Protocol.
 In line with the spirit of the Protocol, South Africa has instituted
90-day visa waivers for nationals from SADC countries, except
for nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
Madagascar and Angola.
 South Africa has been willing to extend the visa waiver to
Angolan citizens; however, Angola has been unwilling to
reciprocate.

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4. ASYLUM SEEKER MANAGEMENT: MANDATE
The Mandate of the Chief Directorate: Asylum Seeker Management
is included in the Refugees Act 130 of 1998
 To provide for the reception into South Africa of asylum
seekers
 To implement effective and efficient asylum seeker and
refugee management strategies and systems.
 To regulate applications for and recognition of refugee status
 To provide for the rights and obligations flowing from such
status which includes enabling documentation.
 Provide support services to Refugee Appeals Board and
Standing Committee for Refugees as provided for in the
Refugees Act, 130 of 1998.

4. ASYLUM SEEKER MANAGEMENT: MANDATE (cont.)
 To engage with partners on issues affecting local integration
of refugees (e.g. state departments, NGOs, lawyers, tertiary
institutions, etc.)
 Participate during national, regional and international
platforms deliberating on issues of refugees
(interdepartmental, SADC, AU, UNHCR and other global
forums).
 Implement Cabinet-declared cessation processes, based on
advice from the UNHCR, such as the recent Angolan Cessation
process.
 Provide up to date country of origin information to support
the adjudication of asylum applications at first instance,
review and appeal stages.
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• If the claim of someone who applies for asylum is approved, such
person becomes a recognised refugee and he or she is issued with
a Formal Recognition of Refugee Status document in terms of
Section 24 of the Refugees Act.
• Further, in terms of Section 27 of this Act, recognised refugees
are entitled to an identity document and a South African Travel
Document on application.
• During the 2014/15 financial year, the Department was able to
process and issue 3868 Refugee Identity Documents
• During the 2014/15 financial year, the Department was able to
process approximately 9557 South African Travel Documents for
refugees.
5. ENABLING DOCUMENTS FOR REFUGEES

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New Arrivals
A total of 71 914 new arrivals were registered between January and
December 2014.
2014 new arrivals indicate a slight increase in the number of
registered asylum seekers – about 1 900 plus – as opposed to the
70 010 new arrivals registered in 2013.
Gender Breakdown
 Of the new arrivals registered during 2014, 68% (48 987) were
male applicants whilst 32% (22 927) were female applicants.
6. ASYLUM TRENDS FOR THE 2014 CALENDAR
YEAR

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The top five sending regions are:
SADC: with 34 477 asylum seekers (with Zimbabwe as the top
sending country) ,
Western Africa with 13 011 asylum seekers,
Eastern Africa with 12 126 asylum seekers,
 South-Central Asia with 8 617 asylum seekers, and
 Central Africa with 1 957 asylum seekers
6. ASYLUM TRENDS FOR THE 2014 CALENDAR YEAR
(CONT.)
Regional classification – Top 5 Sending Regions

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 Between January and December 2014, a total of 75 733 asylum
cases were adjudicated and finalised at the first instance Refugee
Status Determination (RSD) stage, according to data sourced
directly from the National Immigration Information System (NIIS).
 The number of adjudicated cases during the year 2014 includes
cases registered in 2013 and 2014.
 Only 12% of all adjudicated cases were approved.
(CONT.)
Refugee Status Determination

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Approved Cases (12%)
A total of 9 230 asylum applications were approved and refugee
status granted during 2014. Approvals were granted to nationals
from the following countries:
6. ASYLUM TRENDS FOR THE 2014 CALENDAR YEAR (CONT.)
Ethiopia (3 041) Congo (599) Burundi (41)
Somalia (2 903) Eritrea (167) Rwanda (24)
DRC (2 321) Uganda (62)

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 The majority (88%) of asylum applications adjudicated during the
2014 calendar year were rejected either as:
 Unfounded (39%) or
 Manifestly unfounded (49%)
 These findings further confirm that the majority of asylum claims
indeed fall outside the definition of a refugee as outlined in
Section 3 of the Refugees Act No 130 of 1998.
(CONT.)
Refugee Status Determination

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 DHA hosted the Regional Refugee Steering Committee Meeting
from 02 to 03 March 2015 in South Africa.
 The meeting served as a preparatory meeting to the Public
Security Sub-Committee (PSSC) Meeting envisaged to be held in
June 2015 in South Africa.
 South Africa is the Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence
and Security.
7. TOWARDS A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK ON THE
MANAGEMENT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES

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 The Refugee Commissioners Sub-Sub Committee (RCSSC) in 2012
mandated the Refugee Steering Committee to develop a Regional
Framework on the Management of the Asylum Seekers and
Refugees as a key priority.
 To date, the Steering Committee established a Legal Experts Task
Team, comprised by Troika members, which analysed the refugee
legislative frameworks of member states and made
recommendations for the development of the regional framework.
(cont.)

(cont.)
 The purpose of the meeting held in March 2015 was to consider
further recommendations made by the Commissioners during
the Public Security Sub-Committee meeting which took place in
Tanzania in 2013 and decide on the way forward as far as the
Regional Framework is concerned.
 South Africa was requested by the SADC Refugees Steering
Committee (RSC) and Legal Experts meeting to populate the
Zero Draft Framework and share it with Member States.
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(cont.)
 South Africa populated the Zero Draft Framework.
 On the basis of the information shared, the meeting decided
to refer the Zero Draft Framework on the development of the
Common Regional Asylum and Refugee Management Policy
to the Refugee Commissioners Sub-Sub Committee (RCSSC)
for consideration and adoption.
 This will take place during the Public Security Sub Committee
meeting scheduled for June 2015.
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 DHA partnered with the City of Tshwane to host 12 workshops
between January and March 2015 with the Metro Police. The
purpose of these workshops was to educate the police on the
rights and responsibilities of asylum seekers and refugees in order
to ensure that they are at all times treated with the dignity
afforded to them by the Constitution.
 The Department of Arts and Culture is the custodian of Outcome
14 – social cohesion. DHA participated in a Social Cohesion Imbizo
in Chatsworth, Durban on 13 March 2015, Human Rights Day
commemoration events on the 20 and 21 March 2015 and the
Social Cohesion Summit in Port Elizabeth on 30 March 2015.
8. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENTS ON INTEGRATION

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 In addition, DHA participates in the Outcome 14 Technical
Implementation Forum, which steers the implementation and
evaluation of the Medium Term Strategic Framework.
 The Director General of Home Affairs launched an Immigration
Stakeholder Forum on the 13 April 2015 in Pretoria. The Forum
whose membership includes Departments from all three tiers of
government is intended as a platform to raise awareness, improve
planning and coordination on all facets of migration, including
matters pertaining to asylum seekers and refugees.
(cont.)

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 DHA is a standing member of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Protection Working Group
(PWG). The PWG is made up of participants from international
bodies, government departments and civil society. It was
established in the aftermath of the 2008 xenophobic attacks and
was reactivated following the outbreaks of violence in Soweto on
19 January 2015. It meets on a bi-weekly basis.
(cont.)

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 The Department has recognised the need to facilitate the
movement of people from Zimbabwe to the Republic given the
economic conditions in Zimbabwe.
 A Special Dispensation was approved and extended to qualifying
Zimbabwean nationals to apply for this dispensation by 31
December 2014.
 Zimbabweans who qualify, will receive Special Dispensation visas
that will be valid until 31 December 2017.
 This is an on-going effort by the government to ensure that
Zimbabwean nationals are able to work and study in the Republic
lawfully under the Immigration Act and thus address the misuse of
the asylum determination regime, for documentation purposes.
9. ZIMBABWEAN SPECIAL DISPENSATION

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 A total of 208, 967 applications were lodged by Zimbabwean
nationals by 31 December 2014.
 As of 28 April 2015, a total of 129,783 applications have been
adjudicated, thus representing 62.1% of all applications received.
 Of the total applications adjudicated to date, the vast majority
have been approved.
 A total of 3,291 applications have been rejected, representing 1.6%
of the total number of applications adjudicated to date.
9. ZIMBABWEAN SPECIAL DISPENSATION (cont.)

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