R e c o g n i s ed R e f u g e e ( S e c t i o n 2 4 P e r m i t )

This means that :
A refugee can apply for permanent residence if he or she has been living in South Africa on a refugee status permit for a minimum of five consecutive years.143 For a recognized refugee to receive a permanent residence permit, the standing committee for refugee affairs must have certified that that person will remain a refugee “indefinitely.”

On March 30, 2004, the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs published a decision intended to circumscribe the conditions under which certification shall be issued, namely: “…Where the appellant is likely to remain a refugee for the foreseeable future and the “foreseeable future” should be one year.”

Once the South African government has awarded you refugee status. The government will issue you with an identity card which shows that you are a refugee. You will be issued with a renewable Refugee Permit which is referred to as a Section 24 Permit.
You will be entitled to apply for a United Nations Travel Document tha tallows you to travel to any country except your country of origin. Should you travel to your country of origin for any reason, the South African government will stop recognising you as a person in need of protection. You will therefore cease to be a refugee. By voluntarily going back to your country of origin, you will be indirectly saying that you are safe there, hence you will no longer deserve protection or refugee status. Refugees have the right to work and enjoy most of the rights in the South African Constitution except the right to vote.

It is possible for refugees to eventually get a South African passport after a long period of time, which will entitle you to travel anywhere in the world including your country of origin should your fear of harm disappear. This will also entitle you to have a South African identity card and to be able to vote.
www.samigration.com