Home Affairs Gazettes Proposals to Relocate Refugee Reception Services to Beitbridge

Posted 31 October 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category Immigration & Citizenship

Brought to you by SAnews: In terms of the Refugees Act, No. 130 of 1998, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has published draft proposals providing for the reconfiguration of Refugee Reception Offices (RROs), including the establishment of an RRO at the Beitbridge Port of Entry and the disestablishment of the Tshwane Refugee Reception Office.

Under the published Gazette, specified categories of asylum seekers will be required to report directly to or be processed through the Beitbridge RRO for registration, identity verification, status adjudication, permit renewals, updating of records, and related statutory case management functions. The Department stated that the measure forms part of a phased strategy to move reception functions closer to land borders and ports of entry.

Scope and Procedural Impact

The proposed reconfiguration aims to align refugee status determination with border management and biometric screening. Key operational measures outlined in the Gazette include:

  • Establishing an operational RRO at the Beitbridge border crossing to capture applications upon initial arrival;
  • Disestablishing the existing inland Tshwane RRO, shifting processing volumes away from the Gauteng metropolitan area;
  • Delineating distinct categories of asylum seekers subject to mandatory reporting at the Beitbridge facility; and
  • Issuing forthcoming directives regarding transitional arrangements, implementation timetables, documentation standards, and reporting mechanisms.

The Gazette stipulates that existing procedural protections and substantive rights accorded to asylum seekers under South African legislation and international conventions remain in effect during the transition.

Public Comment and Submissions

Interested parties, legal practitioners, employers, and non-governmental organisations are invited to submit written representations on the proposed changes on or before 30 November 2026. Submissions must be addressed to the Chief Director: Legal Services, marked for the attention of Advocate Moses Malakate, via the following channels:

  • Hand delivery: Department of Home Affairs, Hallmark Building, 230 Johannes Ramokhoase Street, Pretoria;
  • Post: Private Bag X114, Pretoria, 0001; or
  • Email: [email protected].

Telephonic enquiries may be directed to Advocate Malakate at (012) 406 4023 or (012) 406 4273.

Access the Government Gazette notices via the Government Printing Works Gazette Portal.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: Immigration and administrative law practitioners must track the final transition dates to advise on jurisdictional competence and valid renewal venues for existing section 22 asylum transit permits.
  • For your business: Employers with asylum-seeker staff in Gauteng must prepare for potential workforce absence or logistical delays if permit renewal obligations are shifted from Tshwane to border facilities.
  • For your clients: Asylum applicants and corporate clients employing foreign nationals under section 22 or section 24 permits must audit document expiry dates and submit public representations before 30 November 2026 regarding transitional processing safeguards.

Originally published at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/proposals-relocate-refugee-reception-services

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