South Africa

Southern Africa

South Africa

South Africa continues to host a large number of refugees and asylum-seekers in the region, most of whom live in urban areas and face ongoing challenges related to documentation, xenophobia, and access to services.

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South Africa. UNIQLO, a Japanese clothing company, donated approximately 46,000 clothing items to refugees and host communities in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia

Are you a refugee, asylum-seeker or stateless person looking for help? Visit the HELP site to find support and services from UNHCR.

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*UNHCR’s operations in South Africa are managed by the South Africa multi-country office, which also oversees operations in Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles, with needs budgeted jointly.

In 2024, South Africa continued to host of refugees and asylum-seekers in the region, with over 250,000 registered forcibly displaced, primarily from countries such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. Unlike in many neighbouring countries, South Africa does not implement a camp policy, and most refugees live within urban communities.

Despite this more open settlement model, the protection environment remains fragile. Rising xenophobia, misinformation, and socio-economic pressures have increasingly undermined social cohesion. The government’s proposed White Paper on Refugee Protection has raised serious concerns due to its regressive provisions, though advocacy efforts successfully discouraged a proposal to withdraw from the 1951 Refugee Convention.

UNHCR continues to support the Government of South Africa in addressing key protection challenges, including helping clear the asylum backlog and advancing efforts to end statelessness.