South Africa’s Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says the number of undocumented Malawian nationals repatriated from the country has risen to 5,000 as authorities intensify efforts to manage growing tensions around immigration.
Kubayi visited a temporary repatriation centre in Durban on Sunday alongside Deputy International Relations Minister Thandi Moraka, Malawi’s High Commissioner to South Africa Stella Ndau, and Acting National Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane.
The centre is processing displaced undocumented Malawian nationals who are being returned to their home country amid heightened scrutiny of illegal immigration in South Africa.
During the oversight visit, Dimpane warned that law enforcement authorities would take firm action against anyone engaging in unlawful activities during marches or protests.
Managing protest groups
She said police had developed plans to maintain law and order as tensions over immigration continue to rise.
Dimpane said authorities had sufficient resources to manage the situation and would act decisively if laws were violated.
“Plans are in place to ensure that we maintain law and order. If there are marches, if the law is broken, we will be there in our numbers to ensure that we enforce the law. So, we call for peaceful marches, we call for adherence to the laws of this country,” she said.
The South African government has also reiterated its commitment to maintaining strong diplomatic relations with African countries as it accelerates the repatriation process.
Pretoria has faced diplomatic pressure from several countries whose citizens have been affected by protests targeting undocumented foreign nationals.
Engaging regional partners
Deputy International Relations Minister Thandi Moraka said South Africa was engaging regional and continental partners to address migration challenges and promote the regularisation of cross-border movement.
“And we’re doing everything in our power to make it a point that we utilise our engagements with those respective countries at the level of SADC, in the AU as well.”
Moraka added that member states must work to regularise the movement of “our people from one country to another,”
Officials say cooperation through regional bodies such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union will be critical in addressing migration challenges while preserving diplomatic relations across the continent.
