Pretoria – South Africa has no plans to establish refugee centres, Ministerial Committee on Migration chairperson Mmamoloko Kubayi said on Tuesday during a media briefing in Pretoria, as government outlined progress on its five-point migration plan.
Kubayi said people who are legally in the country are expected to integrate into local communities, while rejecting demands for dedicated police protection for specific migrant groups.
“Members who come from the diaspora and other countries are expected to integrate in our communities when they are here lawfully,” Kubayi said.
She said people who had expressed an interest in relocating to Lindela as a temporary alternative shelter arrangement had been encouraged by the UNHCR to engage with the process.
“We do not think it’s an option or a better opportunity or something that should be done where people are on the streets,” she said.
[WATCH] Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration chairperson Mmamoloko Kubayi says South Africa has not decided to establish refugee centres, adding that people who are in the country legally are expected to integrate into communities. Kubayi says the SAPS cannot be expected to… pic.twitter.com/LUpgduG5Zr
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 8, 2026
Kubayi also rejected calls for the South African Police Service to provide specific protection to migrant groups.
“SAPS can’t go and just protect a group of individuals. It’s not within the law. They are responsible for protection of all citizens,” she said.
Her comments formed part of an update on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s five-point plan on migration, which focuses on strengthening the rule of law, securing South Africa’s borders, modernising migration systems and improving cooperation with regional and international partners.
Kubayi also urged people involved in migration-related protests to cooperate with officials and warned against violence.
IMMIGRATION CONTROL | Inter-Ministerial Committee Chairperson Mmamoloko Kubayi says immigration matters should be left to government. pic.twitter.com/bMFWgFtpLU
— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 8, 2026
“We don’t want to be the state that acts in confrontation with its citizens,” she said.
She pointed to violence seen in KwaZulu-Natal as an example of what government wanted to avoid, saying those who continued to act unlawfully would be held accountable.
“Migration management and law enforcement remains the responsibility of the state,” Kubayi said.
The government has repeatedly warned citizens against taking immigration enforcement into their own hands, while saying it will continue with deportations, repatriations and border-management operations.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
