20 June 2024 marked World Refugee Day, an international day of recognition for asylum seekers and refugees. To qualify for refugee status in South Africa, an applicant’s circumstances must fit within the scope of Section
3 of the Refugees Act (130 of 1998), namely, that the applicant must have a “well-founded fear of persecution”. In recent years, South Africa has seen an increase in the number of refugees and asylum-seekers seeking protection within its borders, particularly from conflict-affected countries in the region. The Refugees Act plays an important role in ensuring
these individuals are able to access the protection, support and services they need to rebuild their lives and integrate into South African society.
On 21 June 2024, Refugee Pastoral Care (Catholic Archdiocese of Durban) together with ProBono.Org Durban, Lawyers for Human Rights, Africa Unite, Refugee Social Services, Church World Service and HIAS South Africa hosted a World Refugee Day Commemoration for the asylum seeker and refugee community at the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban. The event was refugee- focused and sought to raise the voices of asylum seekers and refugees. The event began with a welcome address from Dr Hupenyu Makusha from Refugee Pastoral Care, as well as music and poetry performances.
This was followed by an insightful panel discussion led by Durban staff attorney Pearl Khumalo and Lawyers for Human Rights candidate legal practitioner, Linda Dlamini. The discussion focused on the background, cultures and lived experiences of the panellists, who were a combination of asylum seekers and refugees.
Emphasis was placed on the need for refugees to take the initiative to integrate into their new communities. Panellists also highlighted challenges faced with discrimination, documentation as well as access to some basic services. It was acknowledged that more work needs to be done to provide social and legal support for asylum seekers and refugees. In light of the above, we encourage private legal practitioners to join our panel to take on our refugee matters and make a difference.
