The South African government has announced plans to begin charging foreign countries, including Nigeria, for the cost of deporting their citizens who violate the country’s immigration laws.
The move comes as authorities intensify efforts to curb illegal migration amid growing anti-immigration sentiments and mounting pressure on public resources.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to reports by Channel Africa, the policy was disclosed by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, which said the government would seek to recover expenses incurred in detaining and deporting undocumented foreign nationals.
Officials said the country had deported more than 100,000 undocumented migrants over the past two years, a development they claimed had placed a significant financial burden on government resources.
Under the proposed arrangement, countries whose citizens are arrested and deported for immigration-related offences will be required to bear the cost of their repatriation.
The South African authorities said the measure is aimed at reducing the financial strain associated with managing illegal migration and deportation processes.
Explaining the policy, the department stated that governments would be billed for nationals who are detained in correctional facilities and subsequently deported after serving their sentences or being found in violation of immigration laws.
“Moving forward, we will also be billing countries for their foreign nationals who have to be deported or who are in our criminal detention facilities and have to be deported back into their countries,” the department said.
The government added that it would collaborate with the Department of Home Affairs to ensure the effective implementation of the policy.
The announcement comes amid renewed debate over immigration, border control and the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa, where concerns over unemployment, crime and pressure on public services have fueled anti-immigration sentiments in some communities.
The policy is expected to affect several African countries whose citizens make up a significant portion of undocumented migrants residing in South Africa.
