72 906 foreign nationals repatriated from South Africa since 7 June

The country's dedicated immigration courts have finalised 28 736 immigration-related cases from 1 April 2026 to the end of June, mainly for deportations. The Border Management Authority (BMA) has processed the repatriation of 72 906 foreign nationals at all its ports of entry from 7 June to 14 July 2026 for various nationalities. This was confirmed by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration, which provided an update on the government’s comprehensive approach to migration management on Sunday. According to the IMC, since Malawian nationals assembled at Sherwood in KwaZulu-Natal between 14 June 2026 and 24 July 2026, 68 138 foreign nationals have been processed, the majority repatriated following processing at the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre (TRPC). The BMA has processed 72 906 repatriations at all its ports of entry from 7 June to 14 July 2026 for various nationalities, including those processed at the TRPC. “You will recall countries such as Ghana started repatriating their nationals much earlier. The majority of nationals processed at the TRPC centre were Malawian nationals, followed by Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals.” The country’s dedicated immigration courts have finalised 28 736 immigration-related cases from 1 April 2026 to the end of June, mainly for deportations. Of these cases, 46% were for Gauteng, constituting 13 312 cases, while KZN had 4 973, the Western Cape had 3 334, and the Eastern Cape finalised 2 019 cases. “Work is now underway to set up a dedicated court at OR Tambo International Airport at a site designated by the Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa); similarly, the upgrade of the Lindela Court at the deportation facility will soon be initiated.” Warning to foreign nationals The IMC issued a warning to foreign nationals who confront and seek to resist lawful operations by the country’s law enforcement authorities. A case in point is the confrontation between law enforcement officers and some foreign nationals who were resisting law enforcement operations in Bellville a few days ago. “We would like to issue a strong warning against those who undermine the work of our law enforcement officers or otherwise face the consequences.” The country has also intensified operations against illegal border crossings, human trafficking networks, labour exploitation, fraudulent documentation syndicates, illegal mining operations and criminal enterprises. “These have resulted in increased arrests, greater processing of undocumented persons and improved coordination among law-enforcement agencies.” To date, law enforcement authorities have registered 354 cases of arrests and prosecutions against foreigners who contravened the Migration Act. An additional 69 people were arrested in Jeffrey’s Bay last weekend. “Government is making it clear that migration management is fundamentally a rule-of-law matter. Criminality will not be tolerated, regardless of who is involved.” Securing the borders The government is cracking down on crime and strengthening law enforcement by intensifying integrated law-enforcement operations targeting criminal networks that exploit migration vulnerabilities, including businesses that employ illegal migrants. “The Border Management Authority continues to enhance border control measures, increase surveillance capacity and improve coordination with security agencies,” said the IMC. “Government has also implemented strengthened border operations during peak periods, helping to improve the management of movement across ports of entry and reducing opportunities for illegal entry and transnational crime. “Since April, 93 joint border operations have been conducted, cracking down on illegal movement of illicit goods, human trafficking and drug syndicates.”