South Africa says 53,449 migrants returned or deported in crackdown

South Africa said more than 53,000 foreign nationals had been processed for deportation or voluntary repatriation as authorities acted on pledges to speed up removals while warning vigilante groups to stop conducting illegal searches for undocumented foreigners.

The figure is more than double the roughly 25,000 migrants police said had returned home or been deported ahead of nationwide anti-migrant protests on June 30.

The total as of July 11 was dominated by Malawian nationals, followed by citizens of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the government's inter-ministerial committee on migration, said Sunday at a briefing in Pretoria.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's government has also expanded logistical support for departures after several neighboring countries struggled to finance the return of their citizens.

More than 20,000 people have been repatriated through a temporary processing center established in Musina, near the Zimbabwe border, on July 1, replacing several smaller collection points.

Kubayi said the state stepped in to pay for transport after Malawi was unable to finance sufficient buses for returning citizens, with the government covering transport, security and accommodation costs on a case-by-case basis.

Countries outside the Southern African Development Community had largely arranged flights for their nationals, including Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and the Republic of Congo, she said.

The minister said the government would deploy additional transport and accelerate bus movements to clear growing queues of people gathering outside repatriation centers, while discussions are underway to scale back the temporary Musina facility as daily departures dwindle.

Authorities also warned that members of the public carrying out house-to-house searches for undocumented migrants would face prosecution.

Authorities said 205 criminal cases linked to intimidation, incitement and unlawful conduct had been registered, resulting in 350 arrests. Police were continuing to investigate incidents in which community groups had carried out illegal identity checks and searches.

The government plans to present a business case to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana seeking funding for a multiyear border infrastructure program.

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