Human Rights Live is a series of podcasts produced by the Human Rights Media Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Join your host Epiphanie Mukasano as she delves into a discussion about the rights and experiences of asylum seekers and refugees living in South Africa.
Episode Thirteen: ALL children MUST receive education
Episode thirteen deals with basic education as a fundamental human right. It is protected in international, regional and domestic law. Section 29 of the Bill of Rights in South Africa’s Constitution says that “everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult basic education”.
However, many children face challenges when exercising this right. More needs to be done to increase awareness and advocacy, to realise children's rights to education.
The Department of Home Affairs must play its part and speed up the documentation process because not doing so destroys the dreams of refugee children and hope for a better life.
17 Jan 2026
Episode Twelve: Twenty Five Years, One Legacy
A silver jubilee episode reflecting on the achievements and challenges of the HRMC.
10 Nov 2025
Episode 11: The Right to Work: Challenges and Solutions
Episode 11 delves into the challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers in exercising the right to work.
The right to work is entrenched in international human rights law. First introduced in the 1945 Charter of the United Nations, the right to work is recognised in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The Refugees Act of 1998 provides refugees with the right to seek employment.This is consistent with the non-encampment policy that South Africa adopted, that aims to integrate refugees in communities and the economy.
In this episode, we focus on the on two main challengesthat refugees and asylum seekers face in exercising this right, namely the high unemployment rate in South Africa, and a difficult access to documentation. We reflect on some solutions, and advocate for a review of the current exclusionary and restrictive policies, and for a supportive environment oriented to job creation. And that women need additional support.
10 Sept 2025
Episode Ten: Humanity Transcends Nationality
Episode ten focuses on the white paper on Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee Protection. This policy document, made public over a year ago, proposes major changes in the South African migration system that have far reaching consequences.
As people wait for the new legislation, there is mounting xenophobia in some communities. One of the unfavourable consequences is what is currently happening in state hospitals, as heard in this YouTube clip (August 2025) where Patriotic Alliance protesters were denying access to healthcare services for foreign nationals.
“We are kindly asking… if you know you are not a South African citizen, may you please get up and leave our hospital. If you know that you are not a South African citizen, may you please stand up and leave our hospital. [Some patients leaving]. Thank you very much, thank you gentleman. If you know you are not a South African citizen, you need to go and seek help from private hospitals, not here anymore. We’re supporting March in March organisation. We have already started here to activate hospitals. And the message is very clear. We don’t want foreign nationals, documents no documents…"
It is not too late to speak out! Before it becomes law.
10 Jun 2025
Episode Nine: Endless Wait for Asylum Seekers’ appeals
Episode nine unpacks the endless delays causing fear and uncertainty experienced by asylum seekers stuck in the appeals’ process. We speak to three asylum seekers, review Human Rights Media Centre’s 2018 qualitative research that focused on the plight of fourteen Rwandan asylum seekers, who were and are, seven years later, still stuck in the Department of Home Affairs’ appeals system.
Justice delayed is justice denied for the ‘Rwandan-fourteen’ and more than one hundred thousand other asylum seekers waiting for replies to their appeals. The endless wait has terrible consequences on their lives.
oin your host Epiphanie Mukasano to further understand the challenges with the appeals backlog; and progress made thus far, as well as an interview of Bob Beerens, project manager of the backlog project at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Cover photograph provided by GroundUp photographer Joseph Chirume.
29 Nov 2024
Episode Eight: Building South Africa Together
Episode eight focuses on the Department of Home Affair’s assertion that refugees are a burden to South Africa.
This is despite their small numbers, and the evidence showing that refugees and asylum seekers often make a positive contribution to the economy.
We can no longer accept the rhetoric that refugees are the problem: they are definitely part of the solution in addressing unemployment and poverty, and growing South Africa’seconomy.
8 Sept 2024
Episode Seven: The Constitution Our Pledge to Humanity
Episode seven focuses again on the White Paper circulated by the Department ofHome Affairs. Many civil society organisations, including the Human Rights Media Centre, take strong issue with its intention. We consider it an outrage against the rights and human dignity of those who are forced to flee their homes. We aim to make this legal information accessible because the White Paper must be understood by everybody.
19 Jul 2024
Episode Six: Belonging threatened!
Episode six focuses on how the Human Rights Media Centre has, along with civil society, taken a stand against the Department of Home Affairs’ White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration & Refugee Protection.
We ask you to stand with us against this unacceptable proposal and to support refugees whose lives have been torn apart by conflict and discrimination, to build their futures as South Africans without further delay.
26 Apr 2024
Episode Five: UMOJA WAMAMA – Together for Change
Episode five focuses on Umoja Wamama Crafters Co-Operative, a women’s collective allied to the Human Rights Media Centre. Most of the members are from the refugee community; some are South African veterans.
Umoja Wamama will soon celebrate its tenth anniversary and may be of interest to you in that it presents a different economic model, where every member is both contributor and beneficiary.
But the benefits, as you will hear, are richer than just economic.
29 Nov 2023
Episode Four: Exercising the Right to Belong.
Episode Four explores the experiences of three young people, born and raised in South Africa of refugee parents, and their journey toward accessing their right to belong.
In South Africa, the Bill of Rights and the Children’s Act explicitly recognises that every child has the right to nationality from birth.
We urge you to know your rights, claim your rights, and defend your rights!
12 Sept 2023
Episode Three: Securing Refugee Women and Children’s Rights
Episode Three centres around the struggles of women refugees. We explore how refugee women’s organising has made a difference!
Under the new regulation, refugees and asylum seekers can get their own files, if the primary applicant has gone or passed on.
We urge both men and women to listen to this podcast and share it widely with your networks!
9 Jul 2023
Episode Two: You can’t be a refugee forever!
Episode Two explores naturalisation as one of three durable solutions to end refugee-hood.
Join your host Epiphanie Mukasano this World Refugee Month as she discusses issues surrounding Refugee status as temporary. Naturalisation is the long-term integration of refugees in the host or resettled country. Listen in to hear how South Africa is faring.
27 Apr 2023
Episode One: Making Good our Commitment to Human Rights
Human Rights Live is a series of podcasts produced by the Human Rights Media Centre. Join our host
Epiphanie Mukasano as she delves into conversations around the rights and experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa.
30 Jun 2022
World Refugee Day 2022
This podcast produced by the Human Rights Media Centre to commemorate World Refugee Day 2022, considers the ‘Right to Asylum’ and its implementation in South Africa. Representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the South African Human Rights Commission, and two asylum seekers share their perspectives.
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