Migration Jurisprudence from the South › South Africa
Scalabrini Centre v. Minister of Home Affairs (abandonment rules)
Constitutional Court of South Africa · South Africa · 2023-12 · National court
Citation: [2023] ZACC 45
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
May an asylum claim be treated as abandoned just because the permit was not renewed in time?
What the court decided
No. The abandonment provisions of the Refugees Act breached the right against return to danger and were struck down.
In plain language
A 2020 change in South Africa’s law said that asylum seekers who missed a renewal date had abandoned their claim and could be deported. The Constitutional Court struck this down.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Perubahan UU Afrika Selatan pada 2020 menyatakan pencari suaka yang terlambat memperpanjang izin dianggap meninggalkan permohonannya dan bisa dideportasi. MK membatalkannya.
Pertanyaan: Bolehkah permohonan suaka dianggap ditinggalkan hanya karena izinnya tidak diperpanjang tepat waktu?
What happened afterwards
- 2020-01: Amended Refugees Act in force.
- 2023-12: Abandonment rules struck down. [Check date.]
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-scalabrini-2023/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.