Home Affairs deports nearly 110 000 illegal immigrants from SA
· Citizen
The Department of Home Affairs has deported nearly 110 000 illegal immigrants from South Africa to their home countries over the past two financial years.
The department said the deportation marked an exponential increase in annual deportations since the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
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“This marked increase in law enforcement against immigration violations demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Home Affairs and our partners in law enforcement to restoring the rule of law,” said Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreibers acting spokesperson, André Gaum.
Deportations
According to the department during the first year of the current administration, the number of deportations increased by 30%, from 39 672 in 2023/24 to 51 560 in 2024/25.
This was followed by a further annual increase of 12%, to 57 784, in 2025/26. Over the past two financial years, deportations have surged by a cumulative 46%, totalling 109 344 by 31 March 2026.
Illegal immigrants
Schreiber said South Africa is clamping down on illegal immigrants entering the country.
“These numbers show that we are now reaping the fruits of reforms focused on greater efficiency and intensified enforcement against immigration violators.
“Through ongoing campaigns like Operation New Broom, as well as the increasing use of biometric verification tools, we have already increased deportations by 46%.”
Warning
Schreiber warned citizens of other countries entering South Africa illegally.
“Our message remains clear: If you are in South Africa illegally, self-deport now before we find you and ban you from ever entering our country legally in future,” Schreiber said.
“While enforcement efforts are clearly yielding fruit and scaling up every year, we remain equally focused on deterrence and modernisation.”
Drones
Schreiber said the deployment of drone and body camera technology has already made a difference.
“While the impending scale-up of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system will record biometrics for every foreigner who enters our country, it will dramatically enhance our ability to detect and arrest anyone who is in South Africa illegally.”
Undocumented migrants
Undocumented migrants are a ticking time bomb for the government, with fingers pointing at the ANC, which allowed it to happen and continues to neglect it, according to experts and politicians.
A continuous influx of undocumented people creates what researchers call a “surplus population”, which means groups of people the state is not aware of and cannot provide resources to, Buhle Ndoda, researcher, academic and cofounder of GiveHope Foundation, said.
This puts pressure on jobs, social services and opportunities, and it affects locals directly.
In places like Johannesburg and Pretoria, foreigners have declared some “no-go” areas for locals, as they regard those areas as their territory.
Additional reporting by Eric Mthobeli Naki