South Africa is currently hosting more than 137,500 refugees and asylum seekers, with government figures revealing a significant burden on the asylum system amid growing concerns about illegal migration, backlogs and the alleged abuse of refugee protections.

Data provided by the Department of Home Affairs shows there are 55,190 recognised refugees and 82,348 active asylum seeker cases in the country. The figures emerge as South Africa grapples with mounting immigration pressures, heightened border security concerns and increasing calls for stricter migration controls.

Department records show substantial backlogs across various stages of the asylum process, including 70,976 cases before the Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa (RAASA), 7,407 cases before the Standing Committee on Refugee Affairs (SCRA), 3,490 judicial review matters and hundreds of other referrals awaiting finalisation.

During the past year, authorities approved 1,934 asylum applications and rejected 7,392 claims, highlighting what officials describe as a high number of unfounded applications.

Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Thulani Mavuso said the government’s approach to migration management is based on the strict implementation of existing immigration and refugee legislation.

“Government’s current approach to managing migration and asylum processes is premised on the full implementation of the Immigration Act of 2002 and the Refugee Act of 1998,” Mavuso said.

He said the Immigration Act regulates the admission and departure of foreign nationals, while those found to be in the country illegally are arrested and processed for deportation.

“Illegal migrants get arrested for deportation, hence the existence of the Lindela Repatriation Centre and designated police stations as holding facilities,” he said.

Mavuso argued that South Africa’s asylum system is increasingly being exploited.

“The Refugee Act is abused by economic migrants who lodge unfounded asylum claims, resulting in low approval rates and higher rejection rates,” he said.

Nearly 90% of refugee and asylum seeker cases originate from 10 countries: Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Burundi, Malawi, Ghana and the Republic of the Congo.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that most refugees and asylum seekers living in South Africa originate from the DRC, Ethiopia, Somalia and Burundi.

While acknowledging administrative challenges, UNHCR praised South Africa’s refugee protection framework.

“UNHCR recognises South Africa’s longstanding commitment to providing protection to refugees and asylum seekers, reflected in its progressive legal framework,” said Duniya, a communications officer for UNHCR South Africa.

“At the same time, we continue to work closely with the government and partners to support the effective implementation of this framework in line with international standards.”

UNHCR identified access to documentation as one of the most pressing challenges facing refugees and asylum seekers.

“Access to documentation and the renewal of documents is one of the major challenges that many refugees and asylum seekers face,” the agency said.

It added that refugees often struggle to access healthcare, education and employment opportunities because of delays in permit renewals.

The figures come as displacement continues to rise globally and across the region. According to UNHCR, Eastern and Southern Africa currently host 22.7 million of the more than 117 million displaced people worldwide.

Meanwhile, the government is preparing major reforms to South Africa’s migration regime through the proposed Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection Bill.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, the legislation seeks to provide “a balanced, structured and constitutionally sound approach to the overhaul of South Africa’s migration governance while safeguarding the national sovereignty and public security of the country”.