PRETORIA, Gauteng — The South African government is officially seeking reimbursement for extensive repatriation costs from Malawi, Nigeria, and Ethiopia after the Home Affairs Department spent nearly R300-million returning roughly 75,000 foreign nationals to their home countries.
The sheer scale and speed of the recent deportation operations have placed severe financial strain on the department, prompting officials to turn to both domestic and international channels to recover the unexpected expenditures.
Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber highlighted the extraordinary nature of the operation, noting that the sheer volume of deportations is virtually unheard of. According to Dr. Schreiber, recent data indicates that between 74,000 and 75,000 individuals have been repatriated in a remarkably brief timeframe, describing the rapid turnover as unprecedented.
Because the sudden surge in deportations was not factored into the annual fiscal planning, the department is now grappling with a severe budget shortfall. Home Affairs Director-General Livhuwani Makhode addressed the financial realities of the operation, categorizing it as an “unfunded mandate.” Makhode clarified that neither the Department of Home Affairs nor the other collaborating government agencies had budgeted for an undertaking of this magnitude.
To mitigate the heavy financial burden, the department has initiated diplomatic protocols to recover the funds. Through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), South Africa is formally asking the affected nations to foot the bill for the return of their citizens.
Makhode confirmed that the government has already dispatched official correspondence to the government of Malawi, as well as to the respective embassies of Nigeria and Ethiopia, requesting full reimbursement for the logistical and operational costs incurred. The department is currently awaiting formal responses from these foreign governments.
As the repatriation program continues to be a major financial drain, the Home Affairs Department is actively looking to both the National Treasury and the affected foreign governments to help cover the outstanding costs and stabilize the department’s strained finances.
