About 400 asylum seekers, mostly from Ethiopia and Eritrea, staged a protest outside the refugee reception office in Gqeberha on Wednesday, demanding that reception facilities reopen and that the national online renewal system be made to work reliably.
Protesters cite Constitutional Court judgment
The demonstrators referenced a Constitutional Court judgment in July 2026 that, they said, prevents the deportation of undocumented asylum seekers who have been unable to fully access the asylum system. The group handed a memorandum calling for reception offices to reopen within 14 days and warned they would return if their demands were not met. The protest was organised by the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre, which has been documenting the access problems.
An Ethiopian man who took part in the protest, and who asked to remain anonymous, said the closures have both immediate and long-term consequences. He told the group:
"People are having problems renewing their papers and we have new applicants who are shut out because the offices are closed."
Reception offices effectively closed since covid
According to reporting by GroundUp, refugee reception offices have been effectively closed since the covid pandemic. New applicants are largely unable to access in-person services; renewals are routed through an online system that demonstrators and advocacy groups say is not working.
Linton Harmse, director of the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre, said the situation places asylum seekers at risk of arrest and detention. He described the problem as a failure by the Department of Home Affairs rather than by asylum seekers themselves.
Direct impacts listed by protesters
- People who have applied to renew permits before expiry remain unprocessed.
- Some asylum seekers are being arrested by immigration and police officers because they appear undocumented.
- Individuals have lost employment when employers refuse to continue hiring those with expired permits.
- Bank accounts have been frozen and lease agreements terminated where documentation has lapsed.
- Students are unable to register for classes when they cannot produce valid permits.
One protester said he could not renew his permit and therefore could not register at the university where he is enrolled.
What protesters want
The memorandum presented by the group demands that refugee reception offices reopen nationwide within 14 days and that the Home Affairs renewal process be restored to ensure those with pending or expired permits can regularise their status. Protest organisers said they began with Ethiopian and Eritrean asylum seekers for logistical reasons but plan to involve all asylum seekers in future actions if the issues are not addressed.
| Issue | Reported impact |
|---|---|
| Closed reception offices | New applicants unable to access asylum system |
| Faulty online renewal | Expired permits remain unprocessed |
| Enforcement actions | Arrests, job losses, frozen bank accounts, terminated leases |
The demonstration and the memorandum were reported by GroundUp, which documented the protesters’ demands and included statements from the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre. Protest organisers said the next action will broaden to include asylum seekers from other countries if the government does not respond.
This protest highlights ongoing tensions between access to asylum processes and day-to-day survival in Gqeberha. With students, employees and tenants among those affected, the issue reaches beyond immigration policy into labour markets, housing and education access in the city.
Local residents seeking assistance or information about refugee services are advised to consult recognised civil-society organisations or the Nelson Mandela University Refugee Rights Centre for guidance while the status of reception offices and the online system remains unresolved.
