South Africa has confirmed the repatriation of 2,745 foreign nationals within a week, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pledge to intensify enforcement against illegal immigration, according to the country’s home affairs minister.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber disclosed the figure on Sunday, noting that the number reflects ongoing movements since the president’s announcement.
“As of last night, the number we can report is 2,745 repatriations that have come in this period since the president spoke,” he told reporters. He added that the figures remain fluid, saying, “It is a moving target,” he said.
South Africa, one of Africa’s largest economies, has historically drawn migrants from across the continent, both through legal channels and irregular routes.
However, high unemployment—currently above 30 percent—has fuelled repeated waves of anti-immigrant sentiment and occasional outbreaks of violence.
In recent weeks, tensions have escalated further, with groups of South Africans staging marches in various areas while carrying sticks, whips and shields, ordering undocumented foreigners to leave the country by June 30.
The unrest has included incidents of looting and attacks on foreign-owned businesses, heightening fears among migrant communities.
In response, nationals from countries including Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique have begun accepting voluntary return arrangements coordinated by their respective governments.
Authorities say most of those repatriated are in the country without legal documentation. An inter-ministerial migration committee established after the president’s address reported that Malawian nationals made up a significant portion of those affected, with about 7,000 reportedly sheltering in an open field in Durban, in the eastern part of the country.
To facilitate returns, the Malawian government deployed eight buses on Sunday, while South African authorities added ten more buses to accelerate the process.
According to the committee, about 560 people, including roughly 200 children, travelled on the first day of movements.
Among those leaving, many carried infants and small personal belongings as they prepared for the journey home.
READ ALSO: First Evacuation Batch Of 268 Nigerians Arrives Lagos From South Africa
“I’m relieved we are finally leaving. It’s better than living in fear here,” said Fortunate Chilenje from Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial capital.
The 25-year-old said she had lived in South Africa for three years, adding that threats to leave had followed her even within the temporary settlement, which has become one of the largest formed since the unrest began.
The South African government, however, reiterated that it does not operate refugee camps and has no plans to establish them, even on a temporary basis.
Another returnee, Laina Nala from Mangochi in southern Malawi, said she hoped to be dropped off closer to her home destination. “Blantyre is too far and expensive from there,” she said.
For some migrants, the return has been complicated by financial strain. Hassan Hasha, 27, said he still carried debt linked to his journey to South Africa.
He explained that he had only spent a short time in the country before anti-foreigner tensions escalated, adding: “I have resigned myself to going home”.
President Ramaphosa, in remarks made last week, acknowledged public concerns over undocumented migration but warned that authorities would not tolerate vigilante action.
Tensions intensified after a May 29 anti-illegal migration march in Mossel Bay, Western Cape, left two Mozambicans dead, though Mozambican officials reported that five people were killed.
According to South Africa’s statistics agency, more than three million foreigners reside in the country, representing about 5.1 percent of the population.