South Africa shows 53,000 foreigners the door
South Africa processed almost 53,500 foreign nationals for deportation or voluntary repatriation since last month, as the authorities act on pledges to speed up removals while warning vigilante groups to stop conducting illegal searches for undocumented foreigners.
The figure is more than double the roughly 25,000 migrants police said had returned home or been deported before nationwide anti-migrant protests in the country on June 30.
The total as of July 11 was dominated by Malawian nationals, followed by citizens of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the government’s inter-ministerial committee on migration, said Sunday at a briefing in Pretoria.
South Africa’s government has been implementing a five-point migration plan announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 7 June, which includes cracking down on immigration law violations and securing its borders.
The authorities have also expanded logistical support for departures after several neighbouring countries struggled to finance the return of their citizens.
The enforcement drive comes as anti-migration sentiment gains political traction globally.
In South Africa, where municipal elections are due in November, parties will face voters frustrated by high unemployment, crime and declining public services, with migrants increasingly becoming a focus for broader economic grievances.
More than 20,000 people have been repatriated through a temporary processing centre established on July 1 in Musina, near the Zimbabwean border, replacing several smaller collection points.
Kubayi said the state stepped in to pay for people being sent home after Malawi was unable to finance sufficient buses for returning citizens, with the government covering transport, security and accommodation costs on a case-by-case basis.
Countries outside the Southern African Development Community had largely arranged flights for their nationals, including Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and the Republic of Congo, she said.
The minister said the government would provide additional transport to clear growing queues of people gathering outside repatriation centers.
The authorities also warned that members of the public carrying out house-to-house searches for undocumented migrants would face prosecution.
A total of 205 criminal cases linked to intimidation, incitement and unlawful conduct have been registered, resulting in 350 arrests.
Police were continuing to investigate incidents in which community groups had carried out unlawful identity checks and searches, Kubayi said.
The government plans to present a business case to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana seeking funding for a multi-year border infrastructure program later this month, she said.
By Janice Kew for Bloomberg
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