South Africa: More Than 57,000 People Were Deported From South Africa Last Year

Lead

South Africa deported 57,784 people in the 2025/26 financial year, up sharply from 14,589 in 2020/21, according to figures cited in reports from The Outlier, GroundUp and other outlets aggregated on AllAfrica. The surge coincides with heightened anti-immigrant sentiment and a government crackdown on undocumented migration, with Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber pledging tougher border controls and a 30 June deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country.

Coverage Comparison

Multiple outlets have covered the same core set of facts, though their framing varies. Reports from The Outlier and GroundUp (as carried by AllAfrica) focus on the rise in deportation numbers and the operational reasons behind them, including the launch of Operation Siyasebenta in 2022 and joint police-labour sweeps under Operation Shanela. A separate report, also from AllAfrica, highlights the comments of anti-illegal immigration group leaders who say the 30 June deadline will not lead to violence or looting, and details promises of new border technology made by Minister Schreiber following a major drug bust.

All sources agree on the broad trajectory: deportation numbers have increased over the past five years, but remain below the pre-pandemic average of 67,000 per year between 2010 and 2019. No source disputes the central statistics, though the interpretation differs slightly—one emphasises government clampdown, another the peaceful nature of protesters' demands.

Key Claims

Deportation surge over five years. According to two of the three articles, the number of people deported from South Africa has risen steadily since 2020, reaching 57,784 in the 2025/26 financial year, up from 14,589 in 2020/21 when the COVID-19 pandemic presumably constrained state capacity. The same reporting notes that this is still lower than the annual average of approximately 67,000 deportations between 2010 and 2019, and far below the more than 300,000 deported in 2007.

Government operations. The Department of Home Affairs launched Operation Siyasebenta ("we are working") in 2022 to target undocumented workers, according to material from The Outlier and GroundUp. Additionally, a combined operation with the police and the Department of Labour called Operation Shanela ("sweep clean") has focused on immigration-related offences alongside other crimes. Minister Schreiber, who entered office in the 2024/25 financial year, has argued that deporting undocumented individuals is essential to "protect social cohesion" in the face of tensions between South Africans and immigrants.

Anti-immigration protests and the June 30 deadline. A separate article reports that Nkosikhona "Phakel'umthakathi" Ndandababa, leader of the Insizawa Ngobunsizwa Development Foundation and aligned with the anti-immigration movement March and March, stated on a Sunday that there would be "no looting or attacks" as activists press the government. According to that report, Ndandababa said the group aims to show government they are peaceful, and he also called on African countries to "help evacuated" undocumented migrants before the June 30 deadline. But he admitted that expecting every undocumented person to leave by then is not realistic, urging voluntary exits where possible.

Border technology and drug bust. Minister Schreiber is quoted as saying “The time for our borders to be a free-for-all is over” after officials at the Beitbridge border seized contraband worth more than R1-billion. Additionally, the Border Management Authority plans to implement new technology, including facial recognition and electronic traveller checks, to detect undocumented entrants, as per the same source.

Perspectives

Various perspectives surface across the reports. Schreiber's view, as expressed to Bloomberg TV in October last year, is that South Africa is a "neglected part of migration story" and that tight enforcement is necessary to maintain social coercion. Anti-immigrant groups like March and March demand stricter controls and deportation of all undocumented individuals, though their representative Ndandababa seeks to reassure that their actions will be peaceful. Meanwhile, the data points out that the current deportation numbers are not historically exceptional—something that might quieten alarm that the country is carrying out a uniquely aggressive expulsion campaign. The sources also note that tensions on the ground have been visible in recent weeks, with protests in several cities and reports of assaults against immigrants, underlying societal rifts.

As of this writing, the June 30 deadline has not yet passed, and the Border Management Authority's deployment of facial recognition technology is still an announced plan rather than a confirmed installed system. No outlet has independently confirmed the full number of undocumented migrants residing in South Africa, a factor that many analysts note complicates any absolute assessment of the challenge.