ROBERTSON - Some 200 undocumented Zimbabwean nationals have been held in detention in Robertson in the Western Cape for over a month.
The group was arrested in June and July during the crackdown on undocumented migrants.
The Zimbabwean Civic Movement is demanding they now be processed and repatriated instead of being held.
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Among them is a couple whose three-year-old child has been left in the care of others.
Sibonile Shumba says she's struggling to provide for herself while caring for two young children.
Her sister Sinoneni was arrested along with her husband, Arthur Moyo, in July.
The couple has been in custody for a month, while their three-year-old daughter stays with Siboneni.
Other people who worked in farms and construction are also in custody in Robertson.
Seventeen of them paid fines to be released while they await deportation.
But they remain held in the Montagu, Aston and Bonnievale police stations, while others still await the dates of their court appearances at the Robertson correctional services centre.
Zimbabwean activists say they're pleading with the South African government to speed up the process and let them repatriate themselves.
When approached for comment, both Home Affairs and Correctional Services would only say they are looking into the matter and couldn't confirm the individuals' processing or deportation status.
- eNCA's Nobesuthu Hejana reports.