The Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa (RAASA) has disclosed that more than 160 000 asylum seeker appeals remain unprocessed, according to a report presented to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs this Tuesday.
Out of the total backlog, over 90 000 cases are currently classified as inactive and have been abandoned by applicants.
Data tabled before parliamentarians shows that the City of Tshwane accounts for the highest volume of appeal cases nationwide.
The authority’s submission further revealed that nationals from Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bangladesh constitute the top three foreign nationalities represented across both active and inactive appeal dockets.
Members of the committee noted that the massive accumulation of unresolved claims continues to place pressure on administrative resources and delays legitimate protection requests.
–ChannelAfrica–
