PRETORIA – The South African government has repatriated 53, 449 foreign nationals and the bulk of that number is made up of Malawian nationals.
Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi revealed this on behalf of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration (IMC) at a briefing on Sunday.
She said the foreign nationals processed for deportation and repatriation were dominated by the Malawians, more than 80%, followed by the Zimbabweans and Mozambicans.
“On 26 June 2026, we reported that 15,162 had been repatriated. We have seen a tremendous increase in the number of foreign nationals who have either been deported or repatriated. To date, a total of 53,449 foreign nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation,” she said.
Kubayi said the repatriation process has also allowed authorities to nab people who had been evading the police.
“We also wish to report that two suspects who generated a hit during 4 verification (biometrics) at Musina were rearrested: Sheriff Maulana from Malawi was arrested for a murder reported in Chatsworth and Ncube Marshall Vusimuzi from Zimbabwe was wanted for armed robbery and arrested at Point in Durban.
“Similarly, at the Drive-in centre in KwaZulu-Natal, another suspect wanted for rape was nabbed during the verification process. Police have also opened a culpable homicide case after a driver of a bus from Zimbabwe died on the N1 road after the Petros truck stop.
“This bus was not commissioned by the SA government for the record. The case was reported at Musina Police Station. This is the reason why the IMC has insisted that verification must be done without fail.”
Kubayi said an inquest is being conducted into the death of a Malawian national, Kassim Jaffati, who died on his way to Malawi just before the bus reached Beit Bridge port of entry and was forced to return to the Centre.
“While Government continues to facilitate lawful repatriation and deportations, we have noted that scores of people continue to arrive across various centers to take advantage of the repatriation process.
“These uncoordinated arrivals are putting a strain on our local communities who reside in the proximity of these centers, and they pose significant risks of health hazards and outbreaks.
“In this regard, we have put emergency measures to respond to these spontaneous arrivals and have asked our local authorities to ensure an orderly management of this situation.”
Kubayi said there is a notable decline in the number of repatriations from a peak of 4850 on 5 July to 1139 on 11 July.