The South African and Malawian governments have intensified efforts to facilitate the repatriation of Malawian nationals, with 980 folks having already left the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp.
Extra Malawian nationals had been additionally getting ready to return residence.
This because the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration briefed the media on Sunday, the place it outlined progress in implementing measures geared toward managing irregular migration and strengthening immigration enforcement.
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Chairperson of the IMC, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who can also be the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Improvement, reported that members of the committee lately visited two websites within the Metropolis of eThekwini, Che Guevara and Sherwood Park, the place about 457 and 7000 Malawian residents gathered for repatriation to their nation.
Out of the 457 people who had been at Che Guevara, solely three had been discovered to not have authorized standing to stay in South Africa.
“At Che Guevara, the IMC communicated the federal government’s stance that South Africa doesn’t have refugee camps and that there isn’t a intention to create camps even on a short lived foundation. Accordingly, the people who find themselves legally in South Africa had been suggested to both reintegrate into the communities wherein they’ve been residing, and they’re going to obtain safety from the police like all different residents of our nation, or they might choose to be repatriated/deported again to their nation of origin,” the Minister mentioned on the briefing held in Pretoria.
To facilitate the return of Malawian nationals at Sherwood, Kubayi mentioned the Malawian authorities has commissioned eight buses to move its residents residence in the present day.
“To expedite the repatriation course of, our authorities will assist the hassle with 10 further buses for the deportation of some Malawian nationals. To this point, 980 Malawians have been deported from Lindela on 10 June 2026, as a part of the crackdown.
“Going ahead, the re-establishment of a court docket at Lindela will make sure that deportations from Lindela centre can be expedited. Engagement between House Affairs and the Division of Justice and the Gauteng Decide President has commenced on this regard,” Kubayi mentioned, including that the work to re-establish a court docket is at a complicated stage and can be accomplished inside a month.
In his weekly e-newsletter to the nation on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned authorities is engaged on organising devoted courts that may sort out immigration and velocity up assist for the deportation of undocumented migrants.
Kubayi mentioned work to determine a precedence court docket that handles, amongst others, immigration circumstances can also be superior, and that the Airport Firm of South Africa (ACSA) has offered house.
Along with Malawi, authorities introduced that the governments of Ghana and Nigeria are additionally working intently with South Africa to facilitate the return of their residents.
The Division of House Affairs has recognized various overseas nationals who had overstayed their visas and had been residing within the nation unlawfully. In accordance with the Immigration Act, these people have been formally declared undesirable individuals and barred from re-entering South Africa for a interval of 5 years.
The identical measures have been utilized to undocumented immigrants from different international locations.
Authorized authority
The federal government reiterated that solely the Division of House Affairs has the authorized authority to find out whether or not a person is lawfully current in South Africa and to take the required administrative actions, together with deportations and declarations of undesirability.
“They’ve an obligation to make sure people who’re right here illegally exit our ports of entry by facilitating short-term documentation for exit functions.”
The IMC emphasised that migration stays a regional problem requiring coordinated diplomatic engagement. To this finish, the Division of Worldwide Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) will proceed working with the Southern African Improvement Neighborhood (SADC) and overseas ministries of affected international locations to coordinate repatriation protocols, share operational data, and make sure that actions taken are in line with regional commitments and mutual help preparations.
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“Our authorities appreciates the initiatives by a number of African international locations, together with Nigeria, Ghana, and Malawi, on repatriating their residents from South Africa. Authorities is actively cooperating with them to facilitate the protected, orderly, and voluntary repatriation of its residents. We keep that our immigration challenges should be addressed strictly by way of lawful, peaceable, and constitutional means,” Kubayi mentioned.
In the meantime, the IMC mentioned that over 40 000 unlawful overseas nationals have been arrested because the starting of 2026, with over 7 400 arrests made up to now month alone.
Learn | Over 40 000 unlawful overseas nationals have been arrested- IMC on Migration