South Africa deports over 53,000 migrants amid xenophobic unrest

The South African government said that 53,449 foreign nationals have been processed for deportation or assisted voluntary repatriation since mid‑June, the largest single‑month crackdown on undocumented migrants in years. More than 80 % of those sent home are Malawians, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans; smaller numbers were returned to Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries.

The operation follows weeks of anti‑immigration protests that peaked on 30 June when demonstrators set an unofficial deadline for undocumented migrants to leave. The protests have included intimidation, vigilante identity checks and occasional violence, prompting the police to record 205 related cases and detain 350 people, with 112 already before the courts.

Authorities report at least three migrant deaths under investigation and several bus crashes that killed repatriated passengers. The Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi stressed that immigration control is a sovereign responsibility, warned against extrajudicial actions and pledged to continue enforcing immigration laws while respecting human rights. The UN has cautioned against using migrants as scapegoats for South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges, and neighboring African states have organized flights and buses to bring their citizens home.