Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi: Progress made in implementing Five-Point Plan on Migration Management

Statement of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the progress made in implementing the Five-Point Plan on Migration Management

Good day.

IEC has announced next weekend for Open Voter Registration, let me take this opportunity to remind all South Africans who are unregistered especially young people to take up the opportunity and register to vote on 1st to 2nd August 2026.

Today, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration wishes to provide South Africans with a progress update on the implementation of government's Five-Point Plan to strengthen migration management, uphold the rule of law, secure our borders, and maintain South Africa's constitutional commitment to human dignity, social cohesion and human rights.

The Five-Point Plan, announced by government as a comprehensive response to migration challenges, is not a short-term intervention. It is a coordinated national programme that brings together all spheres of government, law enforcement agencies, border authorities, municipalities, and social partners.

Before I get to the progress report of implementation of the Five-Point Plan, allow me to register our foremost concerns on two issues involving unauthorised identity searches of foreign nationals and groups that continuously undermine our law enforcement officers. We have observed that there are still individuals who impersonate Home Affairs officials and target foreign nationals and some businesses for these illegal identity searches and sometimes extortion. We want to urge whoever is involved in this wrong practice to desist from it or face the might of the law. We have already requested SAPS to attend to those incidents which have been brought to the attention of the IMC.

We are glad to report that our law enforcement authorities acted swiftly in arresting about seven of these individuals in Polokwane and we would like to issue a stern warning to everyone who is involved in this to stop. We have also noted that some groups tend to confront and seek to resist lawful operations by our law enforcement authorities. A case in point is the confrontation between law enforcement officers and some foreign nationals who were resisting law enforcement operations in Bellville a few days ago. Again, we would like to issue a strong warning against those who undermine the work of our law enforcement officers or otherwise face the consequences. Regarding reports of an individual who regrettably lost their life during this operation, we would like to confirm that the matter is a subject of investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, and the report will be made public in due course.

We have also noted continued concerns raised by certain sectors in our society regarding the humanitarian situation in the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre. Once again, we would like to reiterate that government and social partners have been coordinating assistance to vulnerable foreign nationals affected by recent tensions and displacement. These interventions have included:

• Provision of healthcare services and medical screening at identified processing sites and temporary holding areas.
• Access to food, water, sanitation and basic relief support for vulnerable individuals and families.
• Child protection measures and support services for women, children and other vulnerable groups.
• Coordination with embassies, consulates, faith-based organisations, NGOs and international partners to facilitate humanitarian assistance where required.
• Identification and referral of persons requiring emergency social support and protection services.

We have undertaken all these interventions because we recognize the plight of those affected by this situation. But we also want to emphasize that South Africa has, in many instances, provided humanitarian and logistical support beyond what is ordinarily required under international repatriation arrangements, particularly where vulnerable individuals are involved or where receiving-country logistical arrangements are still being finalised.

I will now turn to the report on the progress achieved to date under each pillar of the Five-Point Plan.

1. On cracking down on crime and strengthening law enforcement

In this area of work, we continue to intensify integrated law-enforcement operations targeting criminal networks that exploit migration vulnerabilities including businesses that employ illegal migrants. Working through multi-agency operations involving the South African Police Service, Border Management Authority, Home Affairs, the Hawks and other law-enforcement agencies, significant progress has been made against:

• Illegal border crossings;
• Human trafficking networks;
• Labour exploitation;
• Fraudulent documentation syndicates;
• Illegal mining operations;
• Criminal enterprises that facilitate unlawful migration.

These operations have resulted in increased arrests, greater processing of undocumented persons and improved coordination among law-enforcement agencies. To date, law enforcement authorities have registered three hundred and fifty four (354) cases of arrests and prosecutions against individuals who are in contravention of the law related to the issue of migration. An additional sixty nine (69) people were arrested in Jeffrey Bay last weekend, and appeared in court on Monday. Government is making it clear that migration management is fundamentally a rule-of-law matter. Criminality will not be tolerated, regardless of who is involved.

Regarding deportations and repatriations, we can confirm that since Malawian nationals assembled at Sherwood in KwaZulu/Natal between the 14th June 2026 to 24th July 2026, a total of 68138 foreign nationals have been processed, the majority repatriated following processing at the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre ("TRPC"). The Border Management Authority ("BMA") has processed at all its ports of entry 72906 repatriations for the period 7 June until 14 July 2026 for various nationalities, inclusive of what has been processed at the TRPC. You will recall countries such as Ghana started repatriating their nationals much earlier. The majority of nationals processed at the TRPC centre were Malawian Nationals followed by Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals.

It's also important to note that our dedicated immigration courts have been busy, they have finalised from 1 April 2026 to end of June, 28 736 immigration related cases mainly for deportations. Of these cases 46% were for Gauteng constituting 13312 cases, while KZN had 4973 the majority from Durban Central through our dedicated courts, Seven with one virtual for Sherwood, while the Western Cape had 3334 and Eastern Cape finalised 2019 cases. Work is now underway to set up a dedicated court at OR Tambo International Airport at a site designated by the Airports Company of South Africa ("ACSA"), similarly the upgrade of the Lindela Court at the deportation facility will soon be initiated.

The IMC has taken a decision at its regular meeting on Friday, 24 July 2026, that as of the 1st of August 2026 operations at the TRPC will be scaled down from 20 thousand capacity to 1500 Capacity, after analysis of data trends for the past 3 weeks. The IMC would like to take this opportunity to thank the officials from various government departments, DPWI, DHA, SANDF, Social Development, BMA, SAPS, DoH, Musina municipality and Limpopo Provincial Government for operating the centre for 7 days a week from 08:30 until 21:00 and at times early hours of the morning. You will recall the IMC took the decision to establish the TRPC on 26 June 2026 and within 4 days the centre was up and running.

Similarly, our appreciation to the various embassies that worked with the IMC that requested support to repatriate their nationals. We would like to thank the business community particularly MTN for the donation of R15m to support the Gift of the Givers to provide necessities at the Centre. The provision of Network connectivity by both MTN and Vodacom. We appreciate the support from NGO's in Musina, Durban, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town and other parts of the country where they provided valuable support for those that were in distress (food parcels, pampers, formula milk, water, sanitary wares etc for the entire period). The NGO's include the Al-Imdaad Foundation, Africa Muslim Agency, Musina Reform Church, Mahlasedi Foundation and Gift of the Givers.

While scaling down the centre, we assure all stakeholders that government remains committed to support Missions within our borders in repatriating their Nationals should the need arise. To this end the IMC though COGTA identified Assembly points across the country with Municipalities to ensure that going forward we don't find ourselves unable to respond in time. We therefore urge all stakeholders to continue to provide support at designated assembly points in partnership with municipalities.

We envisage that the phased scaling down of the centre will not negatively impact or compromise both the deportation and repatriation processes we are undertaking. The State remains with the legal obligation to continuously manage the issue of migration in the country and will continue to do so guided by the five-point plan and Immigration laws of our country and the work being monitored by Cabinet.

We remind everyone what the TRPC was able to do for us as country, which is as follows:

• Orderly and dignified departures through a centralised processing facility that enabled repatriations through a safer and coordinated manner with access to humanitarian assistance and transportation and documentation provided by home affairs and the respective embassies.
• Reduced immediate safety risk through the establishment of a centralised site.
• Improved coordination for all stakeholders that enabled screening and monitoring of humanitarian relief by various stakeholders such as United Nations ("UN") agencies, United Nations Children's Fund ("UNICEF"), United Nations High Commission for Refugees ("UNHCR") and International Organisation for Migration ("IOM"), South African Council for Churches, Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and the Limpopo Provincial Legislature Committee on Transport and Safety.
• Commitment to human rights obligations through ensuring protection and assistance to vulnerable groups, including asylum seekers and refugees. This reinforced Southa Africa obligations in terms of our Constitution and International obligations.

Coordination with Province and Local Government

The IMC met with Mayors and their teams of three Metro's in Gauteng, Ekurhuleni, City of Johannesburg and Tshwane on 22 July 2026 to discuss a framework for address matters related to hijacked buildings/ bad buildings, land invasions, illegal mining and illegal trading. These includes buildings owned by municipalities, provincial government, national government, state owned entities such as Transnet, Post Office and privately-owned buildings. The 3 Metros reported work they are doing, Challenges and required interventions by the IMC. We will in the coming week engage the remaining Metros to conclude the picture. In the meantime the IMC has directed Natjoints to finalise the framework and also an operational concepts to tackle these challenges that pose a safety risk and also revenue loss to the three metros.

We also wish to record on the landmark preservation order granted on 19 July 2026. The SAPS and the NPA secured a High Court preservation order against a Rietfontein property linked to a R100 million crystal meth laboratory. The order authorises the seizure and sale of the property, along with R27 800 in cash confiscated during a takedown in November 2024. A Mexican national was arrested in connection with the operation, making significant strike against international drug syndicates.

2. Securing our borders

The second pillar focuses on strengthening border security and improving the integrity of South Africa's ports of entry. In this regard, the Border Management Authority continues to enhance border control measures, increase surveillance capacity and improve coordination with security agencies.

Government has also implemented strengthened border operations during peak periods, helping to improve the management of movement across ports of entry and reducing opportunities for illegal entry and transnational crime. Since April, 93 joint borderline operations have been conducted, cracking down on illegal movement of illicit goods, human trafficking and drug syndicates.

On borderline infrastructure upgrades, we are glad to confirm that a memo will be tabled before Cabinet this week for a decision to commence critical borderline infrastructure projects. These phased projects will also prioritize the deployment of technological infrastructure to keep up with sophisticated criminal networks and syndicates which exploit our technological vulnerabilities. This is in addition to work on the redevelopment of six of South Africas busiest ports of entry, namely Lebombo, Beit Bridge, Oshhoek, Ficksburg, Maseru and Kopfontein, that will be moving towards contractual and financial close soon, so that construction can start at the beginning of 2027.

While more work remains to be done, South Africa is steadily building a modern, integrated border management system capable of protecting national sovereignty while facilitating legitimate travel and trade.

3. Working with other countries

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is important to emphasize that migration is a regional, continental and global challenge, not a challenge for one country alone. Government has therefore intensified engagements with neighbouring countries and countries of origin to strengthen cooperation on migration management, documentation, repatriation processes and information sharing.

The IMC has maintained active engagement with affected states as part of efforts to manage current migration pressures and ensure that temporary interventions lead to sustainable solutions. Current engagements include continued cooperation with countries such as Malawi and Zimbabwe regarding migration management and repatriation arrangements.

Related to this is the fervent move by some of our counterparts to place the matter of migration and alleged Afrophobia by South Africa on the agenda of the next African Union Summit. The IMC would like to echo the sentiments of Minister Lamola, who is also part of this committee in welcoming the opportunity to engage on migration at the highest level of the African Union (Heads of State Summit) to ensure that migration across the continent becomes a choice rather than a necessity.

We believe that establishing a dedicated agenda item at the African Union to address the primary push-and-pull factors and root causes of irregular migration, focusing squarely on good governance, democracy, and economic stability, will enable the development of a pragmatic, comprehensive approach to continental migration challenges.

We have also noted the petition submitted to the International Criminal Court by two Ghanaian civilians, and we have been advised legally that this filing fails to satisfy the statutory legal triggers and jurisdictional requirements necessary for action by the Court.

South Africa remains committed to partnership, solidarity and cooperation with countries across the continent. We believe that the solution lies in collaboration, not confrontation.

The President of the Republic of South Africa received a letter, dated 1 June 2026, from Honourable Commissioner Solomon Ayele Dersso in his capacity as a member of the African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples Rights and as the Country Rapporteur of the Republic of South Africa ("RSA"). The letter titled "Letter of concern regarding xenophonic attacks against foreign nationals from other African States in South Africa" express concern over xenophonic violence against foreign nationals in South Africa, referencing specific incidents, legal obligations, and recommendations for government action. The Commission further authorisation on conduct a promotion to South Africa to engage directly with stakeholders and assist in addressing these human rights concerns. The government is seized with this matter through the IMC and a report was sent to the Commission.

4. Closing gaps in policy and legislation

A process of review of policy and legislative areas that may be contributing to weaknesses in migration management is also underway. Our objective is to strengthen enforcement mechanisms, improve coordination among institutions, address regulatory gaps and ensure that South Africa's migration system remains effective, fair and aligned with constitutional principles.

Among these are the Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection Bill, Employment Services Amendment Bill, Business Licensing Bill which importantly seeks to reserve certain business activities and sectors wholly or partly for South African citizens.

This pillar is critical to ensuring that migration management remains sustainable over the long term.

On Economic Stream

In the next two weeks DTIC will hold discussions with sectors such hospitality, agriculture and tourism on matters of employment of locals and other issues related to the growth of the economy.

DIRCO and DTIC will together convene a meeting with businesses that are invested in other parts of the African continent to understand the challenges they are experiencing and the overall impact of the current migration challenge.

On Stakeholder Engagements

The IMC continued to meet with various stakeholders. This includes a meeting on 15 July 2026, with Foreign Correspondence Association ("FCA") where we shared our comprehensive approach on managing migration.

Members of the IMC, Minister Lamola and Minister Kubayi, participated in the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation winter seminar held on 23 July 2026, held under the theme "The Continent and Migration". The seminar brought together a select group of thought leaders for strategic discussions and interactive sessions.

Conclusion

Fellow South Africans,

The implementation of the Five-Point Plan is yielding tangible progress.

We are strengthening law enforcement. We are securing our borders. We are working closely with partner countries. We are improving policy and legislation. And we are ensuring that humanitarian considerations remain central to our response.

While challenges remain, government is firmly committed to implementing a migration system that is secure, humane, lawful and aligned with the values of our Constitution.

The IMC will continue to provide regular updates as implementation progresses and remains committed to ensuring that South Africans receive factual, balanced and accurate information on migration management.

Together, we can build a migration system that protects our national interest, promotes social cohesion and upholds the rule of law.

I thank you.

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