President Cyril Ramaphosa says refugee reception centres across South Africa will be relocated to border posts in phases later this year as part of broader strategies to overhaul the country's migration system.

Ramaphosa, in a national speech on Sunday, said the move would align South Africa with practices adopted by many other countries, where asylum applications are processed closer to points of entry.

“Refugee reception centres will be relocated to border posts in phases, starting with the Tshwane centre later this year,” he said during a national address on migration.

The President said the relocation is intended to ensure asylum applications are handled “more quickly, safely and fairly".

Continental support

Ramaphosa also reiterated that South Africa cannot tackle migration challenges alone and called for greater cooperation with other African countries.

“Through SADC, the African Union and our bilateral relations with other countries, we will seek to find sustainable solutions to these challenges,” he said.

“As part of this effort, I will be sending envoys to a number of sister African countries to outline the measures that we are announcing this evening and to deal comprehensively with the issue of migration in cooperation with those countries.”

Ramaphosa cautioned that illegal migration is increasingly linked to organised crime, with criminal networks exploiting undocumented migrants for recruitment and to conceal illicit goods used in activities such as trafficking, extortion, and drug-related crimes.

He said many undocumented workers are subjected to exploitation, including low wages, long working hours, and a lack of basic labour protections.

He added that authorities would continue investing in technology, infrastructure, and personnel to secure South Africa’s borders while ensuring legitimate trade, travel, and economic activity are not disrupted.