South Africa is seeking reimbursement from several African governments after spending nearly $18 million to support the return of tens of thousands of foreign nationals to their home countries.
Authorities say requests have been made to countries including Malawi, Ethiopia and Nigeria as Pretoria faces growing costs linked to transport, temporary accommodation, security and staffing during large-scale repatriation operations.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber told lawmakers that South Africa had processed 82,875 people through government-supported repatriation and deportation operations. Figures provided by some neighbouring countries suggest the wider number of people who have returned home is considerably higher.
Recent months have seen a sharp rise in departures as South Africa tightens immigration enforcement while anti-migrant sentiment grows in parts of the country.
Government figures and receiving-country data do not always measure the same movements. Many people have returned voluntarily through programmes organised with their governments, while others have faced formal deportation after authorities found them without valid immigration status.
That distinction has become important as the scale of the movement grows.
South African authorities have previously said countries requesting voluntary repatriation normally carry primary responsibility for transport and logistics. Pretoria has nevertheless provided financial and humanitarian assistance when large numbers of people created urgent logistical pressures.
Malawi became one of the clearest examples earlier this year when thousands of its nationals gathered at temporary sites while waiting for transport home.
South Africa stepped in with buses and other support after Malawian authorities struggled to provide enough transport. By 11 July, more than 53,000 foreign nationals had passed through repatriation and deportation processes, with Malawians accounting for more than 80% of that figure at the time.
Nigeria has also worked with South African authorities to return some of its citizens. In June, Home Affairs processed 586 Nigerian nationals who authorities said were living in the country without legal status.
Pressure on public finances has now pushed the question of who pays for these operations into the diplomatic arena.
South Africa argues that governments should contribute towards the costs of returning their citizens, particularly when Pretoria provides transport and temporary accommodation that would ordinarily fall under repatriation arrangements with the country of origin.
Migration tensions, however, extend well beyond financial responsibility. South Africa remains one of the continent’s main destinations for migrants seeking employment and economic opportunities. High domestic unemployment and pressure on public services have also fuelled anti-immigration campaigns, with foreign nationals increasingly blamed by some groups for crime, unemployment and overstretched services.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has repeatedly said immigration laws must be enforced by state institutions rather than communities or vigilante groups.
Pretoria has also maintained that migration enforcement should remain lawful and constitutional, while acknowledging the need for stronger border management.
Several African governments have raised concerns about the treatment of their citizens as tensions have increased.
Nigeria recently urged South Africa to do more to prevent attacks on foreign nationals, warning that recurring violence risks damaging relations between the two countries. South African officials reiterated that the government opposes xenophobia and discrimination.
Growing departures have also created humanitarian concerns. Families have had to leave homes, jobs and schools, while aid organisations have warned about interruptions to healthcare and education. Some returnees have spent years living in South Africa and face the challenge of rebuilding their lives after arriving back in countries they may have left long ago. Such pressures make the current movement more than an immigration enforcement issue.
It has become a regional challenge involving labour markets, border management, diplomacy and the economic conditions that drive people to migrate in the first place.
South Africa has called for greater cooperation with neighbouring governments and regional institutions to address those pressures. Questions over reimbursement could now test that cooperation.
Pretoria wants other governments to carry more of the financial responsibility for returning their citizens, while countries across the region must also manage large numbers of people arriving home, often with immediate needs for employment, housing and public services.
As migration pressures continue, the debate is shifting beyond who has the right to remain in South Africa.
Increasingly, governments across the continent must also confront a more difficult question, who carries the social and financial cost when thousands of people move or are forced to move across African borders?
