PRETORIA — Thousands of African nationals are continuing to leave South Africa ahead of planned anti-migrant protests on 30 June, with Malawi, Ghana and Nigeria all accelerating voluntary repatriation efforts amid growing uncertainty.
Border authorities say more than 13,000 people have already been repatriated or deported in recent days.
Officials insist the process must remain orderly to prevent suspects wanted for crimes from escaping justice.
Malawi operation swells as thousands wait in Durban
What began as a voluntary return programme has evolved into one of the largest repatriation exercises in recent years.
Thousands of Malawians who say they lost jobs, were evicted from homes or feared violence have gathered at Durban’s temporary Old Drive-In processing centre.
Authorities moved them from a smaller site in Sherwood.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber described the operation as “a heck of a big operation”.
Border Management Authority figures show approximately 7,000 Malawians have already been deported or repatriated. Roughly 8,000 are still awaiting processing.
Another 500 stranded in Johannesburg after buses lacked permits to cross the border. The Malawian High Commission is now issuing group passports to expedite the process.
Schreiber said every person must undergo biometric screening before departure, which led to the arrest of a Malawian national wanted for child rape, preventing the suspect from returning home without facing justice.
He stressed that without this orderly process, the consequences would be devastating for the victims’ families:
“…the parents of that child (victim) who would have been effectively robbed of justice if that person was just in an unmanaged manner repatriated to their country.”
Ghana pauses registrations after 1,500 applications
Ghana has temporarily suspended registrations for its voluntary repatriation programme after receiving more than 1,500 applications from nationals living in South Africa.
The Ghana High Commission announced on June 1 that registrations would pause from June 2. Officials need time to verify and process the large number of applications already received.
The mission stressed that the programme has not ended and that another registration phase will be announced later.
This follows a timeline of events documented continuously by the NOWinSA newsroom regarding the Ghanaian repatriation effort.
Nigerians demand faster evacuation flights
Nigerian nationals gathered outside their embassy in Pretoria this week, urging officials to speed up repatriation flights.
Fewer than 300 people had returned home despite nearly 600 applications being processed.
Women and children were reportedly sleeping outside the premises. Five Air Peace flights have been approved but landing permits have been delayed.
The embassy has promised everyone wishing to leave will be assisted before June 30.
“There are stranded women and children who came from all provinces hoping to go home,” one protester said, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the gathering.
Zimbabweans and Ghanaians also leaving South Africa
Border Management Authority Commissioner Michael Masiapato said around 9,000 Malawians and 3,000 Zimbabweans had been repatriated or deported through Beitbridge Border Post over the past five days.
Another 900 Ghanaians and 300 Nigerians were processed through OR Tambo International Airport.
The total number of repatriations and deportations now exceeds 13,000 across all affected nationalities.
Authorities insist repatriations must remain humane
Schreiber said the success of the repatriation operation depends on cooperation between Home Affairs, SAPS, eThekwini Municipality, provincial health authorities, businesses and civil society organisations.
“It must be done in a humane way that respects the rights of everyone who is here,” he said.
The repatriation efforts continue as South Africa prepares for planned protests on June 30, with authorities monitoring the situation across all nine provinces.
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