Members of the Durban Metro Police and the South African Police Service (SAPS) line up at Sherwood Park in Durban on June 13, 2026 as more than 7,000 people, mostly Malawian women nationals, queued for repatriation to Malawi. CREDIT: AFP
South Africa has repatriated 2,745 foreigners in the week after President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed tougher action against illegal immigration, the country’s home affairs minister said on Sunday.
One of Africa’s largest economies, South Africa has long attracted migrant workers from across the continent, both legally and illegally.
But saddled with an unemployment rate above 30 percent, it has experienced recurring spurts of anti-immigrant unrest, including fresh violence in recent weeks.
Mobs of South Africans carrying sticks, whips and shields have marched through parts of the country ordering foreigners with no residency papers to leave by June 30.
