Migration Jurisprudence from the South › South Africa

Minister of Home Affairs v. Watchenuka

Supreme Court of Appeal, South Africa · South Africa · 2003-11-28 · National court

Citation: [2003] ZASCA 142
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side

Question

May the state bar all asylum seekers from working and studying while their claims are decided?

What the court decided

No. A blanket ban on work and study for asylum seekers breaches human dignity; the decision must be made case by case.

In plain language

South Africa banned asylum seekers from working or studying while they waited, sometimes for years. The appeal court said a blanket ban breaks the right to dignity.

Dalam bahasa sederhana

Afrika Selatan melarang pencari suaka bekerja atau belajar selama menunggu, kadang bertahun-tahun. Pengadilan banding menyatakan larangan menyeluruh melanggar hak atas martabat.

Pertanyaan: Bolehkah negara melarang semua pencari suaka bekerja dan belajar selama permohonannya diproses?

What happened afterwards

2003-11-28: Blanket ban set aside.

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-watchenuka-2003/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.

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