The South African government has announced plans to begin charging foreign governments, including Nigeria, for the cost of deporting their nationals who violate the country’s immigration laws.

The new policy comes as authorities intensify efforts to clamp down on undocumented migrants amid growing anti-immigration sentiments and rising deportation figures across the country.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the government would seek to recover expenses incurred in detaining and deporting foreign nationals found to be residing illegally or involved in criminal activities.

According to the department, more than 100,000 undocumented migrants have been deported over the past two years, placing a heavy financial burden on the government.

“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.

Officials added that the measure is intended to ensure that countries take greater responsibility for citizens who breach South Africa’s immigration laws.

The announcement follows a series of repatriation exercises involving African nationals amid concerns over xenophobic attacks and hostility towards migrants.

On Wednesday, the first batch of 258 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived in Lagos as part of a Federal Government-coordinated repatriation programme. Ghana has also evacuated about 1,000 of its citizens, while other African countries have facilitated the return of their nationals.

The proposed cost-recovery initiative forms part of broader immigration enforcement measures being pursued by the administration of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a recent address on migration, Ramaphosa said government agencies would intensify efforts to identify and deport undocumented foreign nationals living illegally in the country.

“I must make it clear that only authorised government officials may act against violations of the law, including violations of our immigration laws,” the president said.

South African authorities have consistently defended deportations as a legitimate exercise of national sovereignty and a necessary component of immigration management. (Nigerian Tribune)