Thousands of undocumented foreign nationals are being processed as repatriation and voluntary returns continue
South Africa has processed between 47,000 and 50,000 migrants for deportation and voluntary repatriation at a temporary center near the Zimbabwe border, the provincial Department of Home Affairs has said.
Hundreds of foreign nationals continue to arrive at the Musina facility in Limpopo as the authorities carry out removals and assisted returns through the Beitbridge Port of Entry, officials said. The increase follows the closure of the Durban Repatriation Centre and comes amid growing calls by anti-migrant organizations for undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa.
Some foreign nationals have been deported or have voluntarily returned to countries including Mozambique and Malawi as tensions over illegal immigration continue to rise.
Speaking at the center on Thursday, Limpopo Home Affairs manager Albert Matsaung said authorities were beginning to see the impact of the department’s repatriation program.
”You know that we started with massive numbers, but the figures have now scaled down. Yesterday, we managed to process 1,675 people and, by the end of business, everyone who was at the facility had been moved,” he told the public broadcaster.
”But you must understand that this remains a moving target. As we process people, others continue to come forward and, wherever they are in the nine provinces, they are brought here.”
Matsaung said that on Thursday morning there were between 1,500 and 2,000 migrants at the facility awaiting processing. He said the number of migrants processed by the department continued to increase.
”We are pleased with the journey we have traveled, from where we started to where we are today. Since we started in KwaZulu-Natal and continued at this repatriation center, we are now moving between 47,000 and 50,000 people processed,” Matsaung said.
He said the operation had been successful because of the commitment shown by officials and support from other stakeholders. Matsaung also outlined the processes undocumented migrants undergo once they arrive at the repatriation center. ”One of the things we have to do is make sure that the people we are repatriating are not criminals. That is where the South African Police Service comes in,” he said.
”SAPS is based at the centre and uses biometric technology to verify whether the people we are processing have criminal records.” He noted police had already identified individuals linked to serious crimes. After the police verification process, migrants are processed by Home Affairs officials, who assist them in completing the necessary documentation and capturing their personal information.
”From there, fingerprints are taken. The biometric checks identify people already in the system, but we are also taking fingerprints as part of our digitisation process,” Matsaung said.
He added the digitized biometric records would help authorities identify individuals who return to South Africa after being deported. ”As and when some of these people who have been declared undesirable return, the system will be able to pick them up through their fingerprints.
”Biometrics is the way to go, and that is how we are enhancing technology to make our work easier and to ensure that we can identify people with ease through the biometric system,” he concluded.
