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Asylum seekers protest in Gqeberha

Refugee Reception Offices are effectively closed to new applicants, and the online renewal system is not working

Hundreds of Ethiopian and Eritrean asylum seekers protested in Gqeberha on Wednesday. Photo: Joseph Chirume
About 400 asylum seekers demonstrated outside the refugee reception office in Gqeberha on Wednesday, demanding that such offices reopen across the country.
They cited a Constitutional Court judgment in July 2026 that asylum seekers may not be deported if they are undocumented because they have not been able to fully access the asylum system.
Refugee reception offices have been effectively closed since covid. Renewals are done on an online system, while new applicants are effectively unable to access the asylum system.
The group mainly consisted of people from Ethiopia and Eritrea. Their memorandum called for the reopening of reception offices within 14 days, and said…

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  2. Eish! – an exclamation [Ay-sh] or [ee-sh] A Khoi term usually expressed when someone experiences surprise or shock.