The South African government has announced plans to recover the costs of deporting undocumented foreign nationals by billing their home countries, a move that could have dire implications for Nigeria and other African nations with citizens residing in the country.
The proposed policy comes amid intensified efforts by South African authorities to curb illegal migration and enforce immigration regulations, following growing public concerns over undocumented migrants.
According to a report by South Africa-based broadcaster Channel Africa, the country’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation disclosed that foreign governments would, going forward, be required to bear the expenses associated with the detention and deportation of their nationals who violate South Africa’s immigration laws.
Authorities said the country had deported more than 100,000 undocumented migrants over the past two years, a development they noted has placed considerable financial pressure on government resources.
Explaining the rationale behind the policy, officials stated that countries whose citizens run afoul of South African immigration laws should assume responsibility for the costs of returning them home.
“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,” the department stated.
The agency further noted that the measure would encourage greater cooperation between governments in addressing migration-related challenges and facilitate the prompt retrieval of citizens facing deportation.
“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 is something that, through the Department of Home Affairs, we will pursue as a government,” it added.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of recent repatriation exercises involving several African countries amid rising concerns over the safety and welfare of their citizens in South Africa.
On Wednesday, the first batch of 258 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived in Lagos as part of a Federal Government-coordinated repatriation programme. Ghana has also reportedly facilitated the return of about 1,000 of its citizens, while other African countries have undertaken similar evacuation efforts.
The cost-recovery initiative forms part of broader immigration reforms being pursued by the administration of South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, aimed at strengthening border control and addressing illegal migration.
In a recent address on migration, Ramaphosa reiterated his government’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws and removing individuals residing unlawfully in the country.
“I must make it clear that only authorised government officials may act against violations of the law, including violations of our immigration laws,” the president said.
South African authorities have consistently maintained that the enforcement of immigration regulations remains a sovereign responsibility and have defended deportation exercises as lawful measures necessary for maintaining national security and order.