Home Affairs U-turns on asylum seeker directive as social unrest in South Africa turns violent

• The Department of Home Affairs has temporarily withdrawn its internal operational instructions regarding the acceptance of asylum-seeker applications in South Africa.
• The directive from Home Affairs in late September instructed Refugee Reception Offices (RROs) to accept applications without procedural blocks, which led to an unexpected influx of asylum seekers and protests from anti-immigrant groups.
• The Department of Home Affairs will embark on a fresh process to determine the most appropriate operational approach to ensure compliance with the Constitutional Court’s order.