Abandoned Refugees Fear for Their Lives as Tensions over Irregular Migration Escalate in South Africa

by Sheila Pires | Jul 1, 2026 | Migrants and Refugees Office

“We are only asking for protection.” Those words, spoken by a 16-year-old refugee who has spent nearly half her life without a home, school or certainty about tomorrow, capture the desperation of dozens of refugees living in an abandoned settlement in...

Church leaders call for united action against human trafficking in Africa

by Sheila Pires | May 27, 2026 | Uncategorized, Featured, Migrants and Refugees Office

At a time when human trafficking, modern slavery and anti-migrant sentiment are increasing across parts of Africa, Catholic leaders, civil society organisations and law enforcement agencies are strengthening collaboration to protect the most vulnerable and restore...

Sister Marivane Chiesa: “Bienvenu Shelter jubilee celebrates lives rebuilt through hope”

by Sheila Pires | May 27, 2026 | Uncategorized, Featured, Migrants and Refugees Office

The year 2026 marks the Silver Jubilee of the Bienvenu Shelter for Migrants and Refugees, a shelter founded 25 years ago in the heart of Johannesburg to respond to the silent suffering of migrant and refugee women arriving in South Africa without shelter, without...

Southern African Catholic Church Networks Empower Youth in Fight Against Human Trafficking

by Sheila Pires | May 18, 2026 | Featured, Migrants and Refugees Office

At the heart of the Catholic Church’s growing response to human trafficking in Southern Africa, young people are increasingly being recognised not only as beneficiaries of protection, but as protagonists of prevention, advocacy, and healing. This vision came into...

Participants in IMBISA-SACBC Webinar Call for Stronger Church Voice Amid Anti-Migrant Protests in South Africa

by Sheila Pires | May 12, 2026 | Featured, Migrants and Refugees Office

Participants in a webinar organised by the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) Migrants, Refugees, and Human Trafficking Office and the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) have issued a strong appeal for faith-based leaders...

Bishop Kizito on migration: “Meeting with the minister of home affairs is overdue”

by Sheila Pires | Mar 28, 2026 | Featured, Migrants and Refugees Office, Social Action

The Catholic Church, together with ecumenical and humanitarian groups, continues to intensify efforts to address statelessness, migration challenges, and rising xenophobia in Southern Africa, following a strategic multi-religious meeting held in Johannesburg. In an...