South Africa has repatriated or deported more than 50,000 foreign nationals as part of a government migration-management programme [1].
The move comes as the administration seeks to manage regional tensions and address growing public concern regarding illegal immigration. By increasing deportations and tightening border controls, the government aims to establish a more comprehensive approach to migration oversight.
Mmamoloko Kubayi, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration, provided the update during a media briefing on June 14 [1, 4]. Kubayi said the government has repatriated and deported more than 50,000 foreign nationals in recent weeks [1]. Other reports indicate that over 53,000 foreign nationals have been processed for repatriation since June [2].
Of those processed, Malawians constitute 80% of the 53,000 foreign nationals deported [2]. This concentration highlights a specific regional focus in the current enforcement phase of the migration programme.
Kubayi also addressed security measures at the nation's borders. She said security has been tightened at all land, air, and sea ports of entry [3]. These measures are intended to prevent illegal entry and ensure that migration laws are strictly enforced across all transit points.
During the briefing, the minister addressed reports concerning the death of a Ghanaian national. Some reports suggested the individual was killed during anti-illegal-immigration protests. Kubayi said the claim that a Ghanaian national was killed during anti-illegal-immigration protests is factually incorrect [5]. According to the minister, the death was the result of a robbery and was not linked to the protests [5].
The IMC continues to monitor the situation to balance law enforcement with regional diplomatic relations — a process that remains critical as the government scales its repatriation efforts.
“"We have repatriated and deported more than 50,000 foreign nationals in recent weeks."”
The scale of these deportations, particularly the high percentage of Malawian nationals, suggests a targeted effort to reduce undocumented populations from specific neighboring countries. By denying that protest violence led to the death of a Ghanaian national, the South African government is attempting to decouple its legal migration enforcement from the volatile social unrest and xenophobic tensions that have historically flared in the region.
