Johannesburg, July 26 — A total of 68,138 foreign nationals have been processed in South Africa between June 14 and July 24, with the majority repatriated to their native countries, a government official said on Sunday.
Mmamoloko Kubayi, Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, made the remarks at a media briefing in Pretoria on the government's latest progress in dealing with the migration challenges in the country.
The repatriations come amid a recent rise in attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa, which has prompted some migrants to opt for voluntary return.
Kubayi said the government has been working with representatives of countries of origin to facilitate the repatriation process, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Regarding deportations and repatriations, we can confirm that since Malawian nationals assembled at Sherwood in KwaZulu-Natal from June 14 to July 24, a total of 68,138 foreign nationals have been processed, the majority repatriated following processing at the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre," said Kubayi, who is also Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development.
According to Kubayi, the Border Management Authority processed 72,906 repatriations involving various nationalities at ports of entry between June 7 and July 14, including those handled at the temporary repatriation centre.
She said dedicated immigration courts finalised 28,736 immigration-related cases, mainly involving deportations, between April 1 and the end of June.
Kubayi also warned against unauthorised identity checks targeting foreign nationals, saying migration management remains the responsibility of state authorities and must be conducted in accordance with the law.
"To date, law enforcement authorities have registered 354 cases of arrests and prosecutions against individuals who are in contravention of the law related to the issue of migration. An additional 69 people were arrested in the Eastern Cape last weekend, and appeared in court on Monday. 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," she said.
Since April, a total of 93 joint border operations have been conducted to crack down on the illegal movement of illicit goods, human trafficking and drug syndicates, according to Kubayi.
She said the government has also intensified engagement with neighbouring countries and countries of origin to strengthen cooperation on migration management, documentation, repatriation and information sharing.