Migration Jurisprudence from the South › South Africa
Lawyers for Human Rights v. Minister of Home Affairs (detention at ports of entry)
Constitutional Court of South Africa · South Africa · 2004-03-09 · National court
Citation: [2004] ZACC 12
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
Do people refused entry and held at ports or on ships have the same protection as other immigration detainees?
What the court decided
Yes. The safeguards of section 34(1), including review by a court, also apply to people held at ports of entry. [Check reasoning.]
In plain language
People stopped at South African airports and harbours could be held without the protections other detainees have. The Constitutional Court said the same protections apply to them.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Orang yang dihentikan di bandara dan pelabuhan Afrika Selatan bisa ditahan tanpa perlindungan yang dimiliki tahanan lain. MK menyatakan perlindungan yang sama berlaku bagi mereka.
Pertanyaan: Apakah orang yang ditolak masuk dan ditahan di pelabuhan atau kapal mendapat perlindungan yang sama dengan tahanan imigrasi lain?
What happened afterwards
- 2004-03-09: Judgment.
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/za-lhr-2004/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.