South Africa has requested that Nigeria, Malawi, and Ethiopia reimburse nearly $18 million in costs incurred from repatriating of their citizens following a wave of anti-immigrant unrest, according to officials from the country’s Home Affairs Department.
The department informed lawmakers that it spent R292 million ($18.5 million) on the operation, substantially exceeding its R60 million deportation budget by nearly fivefold. The funds covered chartered buses for transportation, temporary repatriation centres, food, and staff overtime.
Home Affairs Director-General Tommy Makhode described the expenses as “unforeseen and unavoidable” and an “unfunded mandate,” as the repatriation programme had not been included in the department’s budget.
As of August 6, government figures show 82,875 foreign nationals have been processed through Home Affairs repatriation centres. However, figures released by migrants’ home countries put the total number who have departed closer to 178,000.
The figure excludes individuals repatriated before June 30 and those processed directly by the Border Management Authority.
Malawian nationals accounted for the largest group of returnees, followed by citizens from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The mass departures come amid heightened tensions over illegal immigration, with anti-migrant groups such as Operation Dudula and March and March blaming undocumented foreigners for high unemployment, crime, and pressure on public services.
South African law enforcement officials said they have arrested nearly 60,000 people who are in the country illegally, including 16,208 arrested in July alone. Between April and July, 16,078 nationals were deported through the country’s Lindela Repatriation Centre.
The Nigerian government has stated it has not yet received any formal request from South Africa regarding reimbursement.
A spokesperson for Nigeria’s foreign ministry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, told the BBC on Wednesday: “We never receive any request.” Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, also told the BBC she had not received such a request.
In July, Nigeria indicated it would seek compensation from South Africa for its citizens who left due to the protests, and both governments plan to discuss the issue “at the highest levels.”
The reimbursement demand has sparked diplomatic tensions across the continent. The situation has strained relations with several African governments, with some accusing Pretoria of failing to protect foreign citizens—a charge South Africa has denied.
Ghana recently pushed for the situation to be included in the agenda of an upcoming African Union meeting, a proposal the continental body rejected.
Ghana notably avoided being listed among nations facing reimbursement demands by independently financing its own evacuation operation, repatriating over 1,600 citizens without South African assistance.
South Africa is now awaiting responses from Nigeria, Malawi, and Ethiopia as it seeks to recover part of the R292 million already spent.
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