South Africa to start charging countries for the deportation of their nationals

Dorcas Agambila 14:23 - 09 June 2026

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South African immigration authorities during a deportation operation, as the government announces plans to charge countries for the repatriation of their nationals.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Department of International Relations and Cooperation) has revealed plans to recover the financial burden of deporting foreign nationals by charging their countries of origin for repatriation expenses.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation plans to charge countries for the deportation costs of their nationals who violate immigration laws.
The country has deported over 100,000 undocumented migrants in two years, costing millions of rand and placing pressure on the national budget.
Officials say the policy is justified as some countries already demonstrate capacity to repatriate their citizens, with DIRCO planning to track and recover all related expenses.

According to SABC News, the proposed policy comes amid growing tensions over undocumented migration and ongoing protests against foreign nationals living in the country without valid documentation. Authorities say the rising number of deportations has placed significant strain on the national budget.

According to government figures, South Africa has deported more than 100,000 undocumented migrants over the past two years, costing the state millions of rand in enforcement and logistical operations.

Officials argue that recent coordinated repatriation efforts by some foreign governments demonstrate that these countries have the capacity and infrastructure to manage the return of their citizens.

DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the move is intended to ensure accountability and reduce the financial pressure on South African taxpayers.

He explained:

Moving forward, we will also be billing countries for their foreign nationals who have to be deported or who are in our criminal detention facilities and have to be deported back into their countries. At least now we can see that there’s capacity for countries to extract the foreign nationals who have fallen foul of the law. That’s something that through the Department of Home Affairs we will pursue as a government.

South African immigration authorities during a deportation operation, as the government announces plans to charge countries for the repatriation of their nationals.

The proposal marks a significant shift in South Africa’s immigration enforcement approach as the government seeks to manage rising migration pressures while reducing public expenditure.

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