South Africa says it needs more than 1,000 buses to repatriate 7,000 Malawian nationals stranded in Durban, as Pretoria moves to tighten immigration enforcement following protests against undocumented migrants.
The repatriation effort follows escalating protests demanding illegal immigrants leave the country by June 30. The recent spate of unrest, driven by civic groups like March and March and others, has propelled the government into action.
At a Sunday media briefing in Pretoria, chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration (IMC) Mmamoloko Kubayi said the repatriation process for the estimated 7,000 Malawians in Sherwood Park must be expedited, highlighting that their numbers have surged recently. ”We are committed to ensuring the safe return of our citizens. Our transport requirements have drastically increased, and more than 1,000 buses are essential to facilitate this effort efficiently,” Kubayi stated.
This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent address, in which he announced a sweeping package of measures aimed at tightening immigration enforcement, securing South Africa’s borders, and cracking down on employers who hire undocumented migrants.
Regarding the Malawian citizens at Sherwood, Kubayi revealed that the Malawian government has commissioned eight buses that will start moving their citizens today. To expedite the repatriation process, the South African government will support the effort with 10 additional buses for the deportation of some Malawian nationals.
”So far, 980 Malawians have been deported from Lindela on 10 June as part of a crackdown. Going forward, the re-establishment of a court at Lindela will ensure that deportation from Lindela centre will be expedited,” she added.
During her address, Kubayi also unveiled alarming statistics surrounding illegal immigration, with law enforcement agencies having made over 40,000 arrests since the beginning of the year. This includes an impressive tally of 7,400 arrests in the past month alone, all in relation to violations of the Immigration Act.
”There is a belief that the government is wilfully ignoring illegal immigration; however, this is far from the truth,” Kubayi asserted.
“Our operational efforts have not only been ongoing but also intensifying across various regions. For example, in recent weeks alone, 143 arrests have been made for not only illegal entry but also for inciting violence during the protests.”
In a visit to Atteridgeville, where approximately 457 individuals were found sleeping on the streets, the IMC chairperson reiterated the government’s commitment to address these pressing issues head-on. She indicated that while the complexities of the immigration situation are evident, the government is reportedly ramping up its initiatives to restore order and safety in communities affected by the influx.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced a series of interventions that his department has undertaken to ensure that the South African identity document becomes safer as the country moves away from the green ID. This includes migration to digital identification and the use of technology to ensure those travelling across the country’s ports of entry are thoroughly vetted and closely monitored.
”In addition, the rollout of face recognition technology to our ports of entry is currently under way. I think it is a matter of weeks before we are able to scale that up. Finally, I wish to briefly touch on the digital ID. This is a new channel of identification verification, which will offer security for citizens and decentralise control over your ID information,” he stated.