Government continues repatriation and deportation operations, successes recorded

Government is making “substantial progress” in the deportation and repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa, reflecting the five-point comprehensive approach for managing migration through lawful, coordinated, and constitutionally sound mechanisms.

Government has ramped up its work to clamp down

on illegal immigration through the Comprehensive Approach for Migration Management announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and chair of the Inter-ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration, Mmamoloko Kubayi, noted that countries including Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, along with Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have come forward to repatriate their citizens.

“We are making substantial progress with the deportation and repatriation of foreign nationals across the affected provinces.

“Over and above the work that we have been undertaking in enforcing our immigration laws, mostly through deportations from our Lindela Repatriation Centre, several countries have come forward to offer the voluntary repatriation of their respective nationals. 

“The repatriation process is voluntary and requesting countries bear the primary responsibility for transportation cost and management of logistics in this regard. Under normal circumstances, the responsibility of the host country only involves verification and issuance of orders to leave,” Kubayi said in a media briefing on Friday.

"As you might have observed from the scenes in Sherwood and Che Guevara, Durban Drive-in, eMsunduzi areas in KwaZulu-Natal, the Malawian nationals’ situation had become untenable in terms of numbers and the humanitarian emergency that has arisen henceforth. To date (close of business – 25/06/20206), a total of 15 162 Malawian nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation, and more are still undergoing the verification process for repatriation from various temporary repatriation centres in the country. 

“Given the gravity of this situation and the need to expedite the deportation and repatriation of these foreign nationals, we have taken a decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Musina Refugee Reception Office in Limpopo province to also conduct verifications. 

“We have as a result activated all logistics relating to the repatriation of foreign nationals in Musina. We will work with various stakeholders such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Red Cross, Feature Family, Musina Legal Advice Office (MLAO), Outreach Foundation and Save the Children foundation to facilitate this process, including the Consul General of Malawi,” Kubayi said.

This strategic work is bolstered by a new Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre (TRPC) outside Musina in Limpopo, which is aimed at:

• Enabling faster processing and verification of undocumented foreign nationals.
• Facilitating more efficient clearance through the Beitbridge port of entry, and
• Serving as a decentralised processing point, reducing reliance on Lindela and improving overall system throughput.

“This intervention is intended to support timely deportation, improved compliance with legal timeframes, and enhanced operational resilience under current surge conditions.

“The repatriation centre currently utilised in eThekwini will be closed and all Malawian nationals will be transferred once all logistics are finalised,” Kubayi said.

Other key achievements as a result of government work include:

• The arrest of 5 056 suspects for contravention of immigration laws in the week of 15 June 2026 alone.
• Processing of 8 230 persons processed to date through the Beitbridge port of entry.
• Multidisciplinary enforcement operations resulting in 35 arrests, including two employers charged with employing undocumented foreign nationals.

“The Border Management Authority (BMA), working with the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and other law enforcement agencies, has maintained heightened vigilance across all ports of entry in the three modalities of land, air and sea.

“Static checkpoints and roadblocks remain in place at key corridors leading to critical ports, including Beitbridge,” Kubayi said.

Working together

The Minister acknowledged that the challenges of migration are “complex” and added that government’s approach to the issues will be “anchored in the Constitution, the rule of law and our shared commitment as Africans”.

“Government will not tolerate the circumvention of our immigration systems, nor will it permit acts of vigilantism, violence or intimidation directed at any community. We call on all undocumented persons within our borders to comply with our laws, and we call on employers to refrain from transgressing immigration and labour legislation.

“We thank our partner countries for their cooperation in the safe, orderly and voluntary repatriation of their citizens. We further thank the people of South Africa for their continued patience and trust as we restore stability to affected communities,” Kubayi concluded. – SAnews.gov.za