South Africa's asylum system keeps thousands in limbo
South Africa's asylum system has a backlog of 130,000 asylum appeal cases. UNHCR funding to help has been cut, and if the government can't find a solution, it could take several years before the backlog is cleared.
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00:00 Irene Mbaki hasn't been home in 12 years.
00:04 She's from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she campaigned for human rights.
00:08 But after another activist was killed, she fled to South Africa.
00:12 She first applied for asylum in 2011 and has had 18 extensions on her application.
00:19 She's a recognised asylum seeker, but still has not obtained full refugee status.
00:25 The bureaucracy is confusing and frustrating.
00:29 I was having appointments.
00:32 The day I came for an appointment, they didn't receive me.
00:35 I made it three times, coming.
00:38 But the last time when I came, they said I must come for an interview.
00:44 So that interview, it took so long.
00:48 They were not receiving me.
00:51 At the end, they said there's no animal, Irene is dead.
00:57 So I must go back to my house.
01:00 I must reply, so they were going to give me the paper.
01:03 Up to now, nothing.
01:05 Mbaki is one of many thousands of people seeking asylum in South Africa.
01:09 They flee many African countries like she did, but also come from as far as Pakistan and India.
01:16 The road to permanent refugee status is long and difficult.
01:20 Many are rejected and then appeal, which also takes a long time.
01:25 This can leave people in asylum limbo for years.
01:28 There's currently a backlog of 130,000 asylum appeal applications.
01:34 In the last two years, the Department of Home Affairs has managed to process only 20,000 applications.
01:40 And if they continue at this rate, it will mean that it will take 13 years for them to clear the current backlog.
01:46 All the while, new applications are being made every day.
01:51 The government admits that it's struggling to clear the caseload.
01:55 The appeal system in South Africa is unending and very poorly designed.
02:00 It's unending because you can appeal forever.
02:03 It's been so difficult that in 2021, the South African government partnered with the UN Refugee Agency in an attempt to clear the backlog.
02:12 But that project's funding has been cut by two-thirds, meaning Mbaki and many others wait even longer for a final decision on their applications.
02:22 And if the backlog means her asylum seeker status is not extended, she could be shut out of crucial facilities like her bank account.
02:31 When you have an asylum seeker, once you open the bank, you need to update most of the time when you extend your document.
02:40 So when your document is expired, you need to extend, which means it's not possible for them to update.
02:47 So you're going to miss many things.
02:51 The South African government says many of those seeking asylum are looking for work, not safety.
02:56 One of the starting points is the world must recognise there is a problem of economic migration,
03:02 and we must cater for it and put up laws and conventions about how it is dealt with.
03:09 Otherwise, there will always be a problem.
03:11 The chaotic system makes things worse for people like Irene. Her situation is hard enough as it is.
03:17 She hasn't seen her daughter since she left. The girl was three then. She's 15 now.