Home Affairs confirmed over 137,500 refugees and asylum seekers are living in South Africa.
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.
