South African Court Ruling Bars Repeat Asylum Applications
The ruling lands amid heightened political pressure over migration. Recent weeks have seen large demonstrations in major cities, where thousands have marched calling for mass deportations of undocumented migrants.
South Africa’s top court has drawn a clear line in the sand: foreign nationals whose asylum bids have already been rejected may not file fresh applications. In its ruling, the Constitutional Court warned that permitting repeat filings without a legal framework to govern them would fuel a “never-ending cycle,” stall deportations, and overwhelm the system with administrative disorder.
Leon Schreiber, the minister of home affairs in South Africa’s coalition government, hailed the judgment as a “major victory” against what he called the “abuse” of the refugee regime. The decision closes a protracted legal battle brought by two Burundian nationals, who attempted to reapply for asylum in 2018 after their initial claims were turned down in 2014.
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The ruling lands amid heightened political pressure over migration. Recent weeks have seen large demonstrations in major cities, where thousands have marched calling for mass deportations of undocumented migrants.
