Home Affairs seeks repayment for repatriation costs after South Africa spent R292 million on repatriating and deporting foreign nationals amid an intensified government crackdown on undocumented migration.

The Department of Home Affairs is seeking reimbursement from Malawi, Nigeria and Ethiopia after the government incurred hundreds of millions of rand in expenses linked to the large-scale repatriation operation.

The department says the expenditure has placed significant pressure on its budget, with transport accounting for the largest portion of the costs.

Home Affairs Director-General Tommy Makhode told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs that formal requests for reimbursement had been sent to the Malawian government and the Nigerian and Ethiopian embassies through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).

The governments were asked to reimburse South Africa for costs incurred in returning their nationals, although Home Affairs was still awaiting responses.

Home Affairs repatriation costs reach R292 million

The scale of the Home Affairs repatriation costs has become a major concern for the department.

Makhode described the operation as an “unfunded mandate”, saying Home Affairs had not budgeted for the unexpected increase in repatriations and deportations.

The department had initially received R60 million for the operation, but the eventual costs increased dramatically as thousands of foreign nationals were processed.

Of the R292 million spent, transportation represented the largest expenditure.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure also spent R48 million establishing and operating a temporary repatriation processing centre in Musina, Limpopo.

The centre was established after the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration directed government to create a facility capable of dealing with the growing number of foreign nationals requiring documentation verification and repatriation.

Although the facility was designed to accommodate as many as 20,000 people, its occupancy peaked at approximately 1,005 people before declining.

South Africa seeks reimbursement

The decision to seek repayment from other governments reflects the financial pressure created by the operation.

Makhode said Home Affairs had written to Malawi as well as the Nigerian and Ethiopian diplomatic missions.

The requests were made through Dirco, with the department now waiting for responses.

The move could open a broader discussion about responsibility for the costs associated with returning foreign nationals to their countries of origin.

For South Africa, the issue is particularly important because Home Affairs says it was not financially prepared for the scale of the operation.

South Africa illegal migration crackdown intensifies

The spending comes against the backdrop of a wider South Africa illegal migration strategy announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa unveiled a five-point approach to migration management after Cabinet approved the plan.

The strategy focuses on enforcing immigration laws, improving border security, strengthening the immigration system, addressing weaknesses in migration legislation and policies, and increasing cooperation with other African countries.

The government has also increased efforts to identify undocumented foreign nationals and process them for deportation or repatriation.

Dedicated immigration courts have been introduced to speed up the processing of cases.

The government says the measures are intended to strengthen immigration enforcement while ensuring that procedures remain consistent with constitutional and international obligations.

82,875 people processed

By the close of business on 6 August, Home Affairs had processed 82,875 people through repatriation and deportation procedures.

Makhode explained that the figure included both people who were repatriated voluntarily or through government-supported processes and those who went through formal deportation procedures.

The highest number processed during the peak period was 4,850 people.

However, the number of people being processed subsequently declined.

Makhode also cautioned that the Musina figures did not represent every person handled through the national operation because some foreign nationals were processed at other locations and travelled directly to ports of entry.

Malawi Nigeria Ethiopia reimbursement request

The Malawi Nigeria Ethiopia reimbursement request is particularly significant because these countries are among the states whose nationals have been affected by the repatriation programme.

The department has also reported significant deportation numbers involving nationals from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

During the previous financial year, 13,479 Zimbabweans and 12,354 Mozambicans were deported.

In the current financial year, the department recorded 4,095 deportations involving Zimbabwean nationals and 4,034 involving Mozambican nationals.

Lesotho accounted for 3,495 deportations in the previous financial year and 931 during the current financial year.

Other nationalities processed included nationals from Somalia, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Algeria, Brazil, Thailand and Liberia.

The figures demonstrate the broad geographical reach of South Africa’s immigration enforcement operation.

Foreign national deportations put pressure on budget

The increase in foreign national deportations has created additional financial and administrative demands for Home Affairs.

Makhode told MPs that 44,607 people were deported through Lindela during the previous financial year.

A further 16,078 people were deported between 20 April and 28 July of the current year.

The department’s budget for deportations at Lindela stands at R257 million for the current financial year.

However, officials expect the amount to be exceeded because of the increased volume of deportations.

Home Affairs has therefore approached the Finance Minister for the reprioritisation of funds.

The department has also submitted a Cabinet memorandum dealing with the unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure.

Transport remains the biggest cost

Transportation has emerged as one of the biggest financial challenges.

Moving large numbers of people from different parts of South Africa to processing facilities and ultimately to border posts requires significant logistical resources.

The City of eThekwini and the City of Cape Town also assisted with transportation.

Home Affairs reimbursed eThekwini for costs incurred during the operation.

The government now faces the challenge of maintaining immigration enforcement while finding sustainable funding for the associated costs.

R292 million repatriation operation

The R292 million repatriation operation is unfolding amid heightened tensions over undocumented migration in South Africa.

The government’s intensified approach followed growing public pressure and anti-immigration protests.

Demonstrations organised by March and March on 30 June were among the events that highlighted tensions surrounding undocumented migration.

Government officials have also reported that groups of foreign nationals gathered at locations such as Sherwood Park in Durban.

Makhode described the situation as becoming increasingly difficult because of the number of people involved and the humanitarian circumstances that developed.

Some of the sites were managed by non-governmental organisations and business communities rather than directly by government.

Officials were deployed to verify documentation and determine whether individuals should be repatriated or processed for deportation.

Humanitarian concerns remain

While government has stressed the importance of enforcing immigration laws, officials have also acknowledged the humanitarian dimension of the situation.

Makhode said South Africa would not tolerate violence, intimidation, racism or xenophobia.

He also stressed that foreign nationals should not be prevented from accessing essential public services such as clinics, hospitals and schools.

The government has maintained that immigration enforcement must operate within the Constitution, human rights protections and international obligations.

This creates a delicate balance between controlling undocumented migration and protecting vulnerable people.

Dedicated immigration courts process thousands

Another important part of the government’s strategy has been the establishment of dedicated immigration courts.

According to Makhode, 28,737 immigration cases had been finalised through the dedicated courts.

Gauteng recorded the largest number of cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 4,973.

The Western Cape recorded 3,334 cases, while the Eastern Cape recorded 2,019.

In eThekwini, the Chief Magistrate established seven dedicated courts between 1 June and 9 July.

One operated virtually with a link to Sherwood, while six operated from Durban Central.

A total of 2,173 cases were finalised through those courts during that period.

Government is also working to increase dedicated court capacity at OR Tambo International Airport and Lindela.

The aim is to ensure immigration-related matters can be processed more quickly.

More than 20,000 foreign nationals declared undesirable

Home Affairs also reported that 63,090 foreign nationals were declared undesirable during the previous financial year.

A further 20,340 were declared undesirable during the current financial year.

Many of these cases involved people who had overstayed their permitted period in South Africa.

The department said an overstay of more than 30 days can result in a one-year ban, while longer overstays can lead to bans lasting between two and five years.

Deportations are also conducted under Section 34 of the Immigration Act, while Section 30 deals with declarations of undesirability.

YOU MAY LIKE:

Over 77 000 foreign nationals repatriated

Home Affairs to launch Electronic Travel Authorisation system

Regional cooperation key to migration strategy

Despite the government’s intensified enforcement measures, officials acknowledge that deportation alone will not resolve South Africa’s migration challenges.

Makhode told MPs that poverty, political instability and limited economic opportunities in countries of origin continue to drive migration.

The government therefore intends to use South Africa’s role in the Southern African Development Community to engage neighbouring countries on the underlying causes of migration.

For now, however, the immediate financial challenge remains.

Home Affairs seeks repayment for repatriation costs as the department attempts to recover some of the money spent on returning foreign nationals while also securing additional funding to manage rising deportation volumes.

The reimbursement requests to Malawi, Nigeria and Ethiopia could become an important test of how regional governments share responsibility for migration management and the financial burden associated with repatriation.

As South Africa continues strengthening border enforcement and immigration processes, the government will face pressure to ensure that its policies are both financially sustainable and compliant with the country’s constitutional and humanitarian obligations.