Abstract
This paper examines the roles and impact of civic initiatives in forming a refugee rights discourse and ushering in refugee policy in South Africa in compliance with its international obligations. Some inputs to this process have sought to ‘reformulate’ the law to fit political realities, while recent commentaries of the process have been limited to moralistic arguments supported by little more than legal rhetoric. Both miss the broader picture and fail to acknowledge the explicit role of civic society both in helping to frame policy and urging its proper implementation. Civic initiatives representing various constituencies in South Africa and abroad have played a central role in forming obligations, claiming rights and even determining state practice. South Africa presents an intriguing case study in testing the validity and practicability of civic society (non-State) efforts in advocating government's accountability in the protection of refugees, particularly in the making of the Refugees Act 1998.