SA will not establish refugee camps: Kubayi

The government of South Africa will not be establishing refugee camps. This is according to the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration and Minister of Justice, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who made the announcement in Pretoria.

Kubayi reiterated that managing migration requires cooperation between the South African government, communities, and neighbouring countries.

Kubayi and her colleagues, who sit on the commission, outlined the government’s plans to tackle migration issues.

“There is no intention to create camps even on a temporary basis, and that’s a message we continue to carry. We should not be expected to carry on and establish refugee camps. It’s a policy decision. It’s a legal decision we have taken as a country that we will not create refugee camps and because of that policy stance, even temporarily, so we do not intend to create.”

WATCH | Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says one of South Africa’s artists has informed her that all of her performances on the continent have been cancelled due to the country’s ongoing migration challenges. She urged communities to reject vigilantism. pic.twitter.com/D58EZz0POl

— SABC News (@SABCNews) June 14, 2026

Kubayi says work to establish a priority court that handles, among others, immigration and illicit economic activities is at an advanced stage.

The committee was focusing on actions that President Cyril Ramaphosa recently outlined during his address on migration.

Kubayi briefed the media in Pretoria on the plans of the committee.

“Particularly, we will want to pilot this at Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA), at Airport, Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport. Work has commenced in terms of the teams between ACSA, Home Affairs and Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. On the 18th, they will be doing a site visit to see, in terms of the identified site, whether it’s suitable and what repurposing will need to be done. Once that work has been done, we will announce progress.”

Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration briefs the media: