Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has revealed that South Africa has spent over R300 million on deporting undocumented foreign nationals since 2015, with a significant acceleration in the process in recent years. Responding to parliamentary questions from ActionSA and the IFP, Minister Schreiber detailed the escalating costs, highlighting a sharp increase in expenditure in the last two financial years.
The department spent R51 million in 2015/16, R28 million each in 2016/17 and 2017/18, R23 million each in 2018/19 and 2020/21, R22 million in 2021/22, and R17 million in 2022/23. However, the figures jumped to R54 million in 2023/24 and R73 million in 2024/25.
This substantial financial outlay has prompted questions regarding cost recovery. ActionSA MP Lerato Ngobeni specifically enquired about mechanisms for recouping these expenses. Minister Schreiber cited Section 34(3) of the Immigration Act 2002, which allows the director-general to order a deportee to deposit funds to cover, in whole or in part, the costs of deportation, detention, maintenance, and custody. Enforcement of these deposits, however, remains a challenge.
The minister also addressed the speed of deportations, stating that many detainees at the Lindela Repatriation Centre, the country's largest holding facility, are deported within 10 days of detention.
He explained the rationale behind this swift action: "The longer they stay in the facility, the more costs are incurred."
To improve efficiency and reduce reliance on outsourced transport, the department has invested in its own fleet of buses and trucks, funded by the Criminal Assets Recovery Account. These vehicles were recently deployed to deport Basotho nationals on 22 November 2024.
Furthermore, Minister Schreiber highlighted a cost-saving partnership with a non-profit organisation providing cleaning services at Lindela at no cost. He stated: "They give their members a stipend every month-end. This helps to maintain an adequate standard of the facility."
The department also proactively engages with embassies and consular generals to facilitate the identification of their nationals detained at Lindela and expedite the issuance of necessary travel documents.
The sheer scale of deportations is evident in the figures provided: over R52 million was spent deporting 19,750 undocumented foreigners between April and August 2024 alone. This context is further illuminated by the significant number of asylum seekers and refugees in South Africa, exceeding 150,000, with the majority originating from Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Bangladesh.
The minister also provided data on active refugee status holders, numbering 68,991, with substantial representation from Somalia (21,202), Ethiopia (13,680), the DRC (20,624), Rwanda (932), and Zimbabwe (3,408). Smaller numbers of refugees are also present from Yemen, Ukraine, and Syria.
It is important to note the legal context surrounding these issues. In December 2022, the Constitutional Court declared certain sections of the Refugees Act unconstitutional, upholding a previous ruling by the Western Cape High Court. This decision, stemming from a case brought by the Scalabrini Centre, invalidated regulations that deemed asylum seekers who failed to renew their visas within a month as having abandoned their applications.
The ruling underscores the ongoing legal and ethical complexities surrounding immigration and asylum in South Africa. The high cost of deportations, coupled with the Constitutional Court's ruling, necessitates a comprehensive review of South Africa's immigration policies and practices, aiming for a more efficient, humane, and cost-effective approach to managing undocumented foreign nationals.
