By Tichaona Katsvamutima
South Africa has approached the governments of Malawi, Nigeria and Ethiopia seeking reimbursement for the costs incurred in repatriating thousands of their nationals, as Pretoria grapples with a deportation bill approaching R300 million (approximately US$18.5 million).
According to reports from South Africa, the Department of Home Affairs revealed to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday that it had spent nearly R300 million on repatriation operations, more than five times its allocated deportation budget.
Officials said formal requests had been submitted to the three countries, asking them to contribute towards the costs of returning their citizens.
The move follows a large-scale operation targeting undocumented migrants, during which nearly hundreds of thousands of people were repatriated through South Africa’s borders to their countries of origin.
According to the Border Management Authority (BMA), Malawian nationals made up the largest group of those repatriated, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans.
Authorities are also facing the challenge of preventing deported migrants from re-entering South Africa illegally. The BMA reported that more than 4,000 people were intercepted between April and July while allegedly attempting to cross into the country without valid documentation through borders with Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Mozambique.
BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato told lawmakers that authorities had intensified efforts against individuals and networks facilitating illegal migration. He added that thousands of visa overstayers had been declared undesirable and barred from returning to South Africa for specified periods.
The repatriation programme has placed significant strain on the Home Affairs budget, with officials acknowledging that expenditure has far exceeded the funds originally allocated for deportations.
The issue is expected to spark regional debate over who should bear the financial burden of deporting undocumented migrants as South Africa continues to tighten immigration controls and strengthen border security.
