On Wednesday, South Africa’s Department of Foreign Affairs revealed it has contacted the governments of Malawi, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, seeking reimbursement for the $18 million required to repatriate thousands of illegal immigrants.
The total bill stands at $18 million. The Department of Home Affairs announced this during a parliamentary briefing on Tuesday.
Home Affairs Secretary Tommy McCord mentioned that these significant costs, including transport, temporary housing, staffing, and other related expenses, were “unanticipated and unavoidable” due to an unprecedented surge of migrants leaving South Africa recently.
Mahode pointed out that a substantial portion of these expenses is currently being handled by local governments, which are looking for compensation from the Ministry of the Interior. Unfortunately, it appears the ministry’s budget lacks sufficient funds to fulfill these requests.
South Africa’s appeal for financial support from migrants’ home countries was met with rejection, according to Nyasa Times. This led to a “diplomatic storm,” with heated responses claiming South Africa hasn’t done enough to safeguard migrants locally and has poorly managed the swift repatriation process.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they “have not received any request” from South Africa for reimbursement, but they are open to discussing the matter “at the highest level.”
Malawi has yet to formally respond to South Africa’s request. However, on Wednesday, it announced the conclusion of a government-supported initiative aimed at repatriating its nationals from South Africa.
The Malawi Disaster Management Authority (DoDMA) reported that the last group of returnees will be processed at the Mwanza Stadium reception center, which will subsequently be decommissioned. While the government will still provide consular services and emergency travel documents for Malawians wanting to return, it will no longer offer transportation assistance.
DoDMA highlighted that since June, more than 56,000 migrants, including 4,000 children, have been repatriated from South Africa at a cost of around $7 million.
The reasons behind these repatriations stem from increasing anti-immigrant sentiments among South Africans, who express concerns that immigrants are taking jobs and contributing to crime. Some vigilante groups have even threatened violent action against undocumented immigrants if the government doesn’t intervene.
The South African government estimates that roughly 82,000 individuals will be deported or voluntarily repatriated this year, although numbers from neighboring countries suggest the total could be more than double that.
In late July, Ghana requested an African Union summit to denounce anti-immigrant violence and xenophobia in South Africa. However, South Africa blocked this proposition, instead advocating for a continental discussion on migration issues.
