Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration media briefing

Statement on migration media briefing

Good afternoon members of the media and thank you for responding to our call as the Inter Ministerial Committee on Migration. The President of the Republic constituted this committee to coordinate the government's work on the issue of migration in South Africa and oversee the implementation of the various interventions as outlined by the President in his address to the nation last Sunday.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee is led by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and constituted by various departments namely Home Affairs, SAPS, Small Business Development, Department of Defence, International Relations, Employment and Labour, Basic Education, Higher Education and Training and we have now requested Transport, DTIC and Social Development to be added.

A lot of work has been done in implementing the various interventions that the President announced in his address to the nation last Sunday. Today, we are here to share with you the progress made in the execution of this important task.

You will recall that the President outlined the government's five-point strategy to manage irregular migration, which includes strengthening border security, reiterating the constitutional principle of the Rule of Law, stamping out corruption in the immigration system, cracking down on violence and lawlessness and refining our legislative framework. This plan and approach also entail collaboration with fellow African nations to forge a broader, more cohesive response to migration challenges across our region and the continent.

This approach is a unified effort designed not only to restore public confidence, rule of law, protect our borders but to actively support the safety and well-being of all our communities. We want to reassure all South Africans that government is firmly in control and actively managing the challenge of illegal migration.

The Border Management Authority has deployed advanced technology such as drones and body worn camera to intercept those who were attempting to enter South Africa illegally. Following the President's address on Sunday, the BMA and its stakeholders have on Wednesday, the 10th of June 2026, held an anti-corruption awareness campaign at Oshoek port of entry, the RSA-eSwatini border, to proactively address issues of corruption within the ports. In addition, the BMA and other law enforcement agencies have instituted static checkpoints or roadblocks at key corridors leading to the critical ports such as Beit Bridge to ensure effective interception of anybody attempting to enter South Africa illegally.

Currently, there is heightened vigilance across all ports of entry in all the three modalities of land, air and sea. This was demonstrated by the recent interception of 9 Bangladesh nationals at OR Tambo International Airport who attempted to enter South Africa with fraudulent Visas. The interception of ABBA, a precursor for Mandrax with the street value of just below one billion Rands at Beit Bridge is another a case in point.

Through intelligence-led operations, roadblocks, compliance inspections, and multidisciplinary actions involving various government departments, we continue to identify, arrest and process those who are in the country unlawfully.

We have intensified our multidisciplinary law enforcement operations which are led by the Deputy Ministers of Home Affairs, Police and Labour and Employment. Through these initiatives, we have visited business premises and communities in Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng to respond to community concerns and transgression of immigration and labour laws by employers.

0n 03 June, in Mossel Bay, Western Cape province, an inspection was conducted at a residential estate comprising multiple active construction sites, which resulted in the arrest of 15 foreign nationals for immigration-related contraventions. In KZN, a multidisciplinary night operation was conducted on the 4th of June, at two clothing manufacturing facilities operating at the same site in the Riverside Industrial Area, Newcastle which resulted in the arrest of a business owner who had illegally employed undocumented migrants who were also arrested. A similar operation was conducted in Tshwane and 35 arrests were also effected including two employers who were arrested for employing undocumented foreign nationals.

In the past month alone, more than 7400 illegal immigrants have been arrested by the SAPS for contravening the Immigration Act. Since 1st January 2026, law enforcement operations conducted across the country have resulted in the arrest of more than 40 000 illegal immigrants. This is a demonstration that government is not turning a blind eye to illegal immigration and we are intensifying our efforts to bring it under control. In addition were arrested for 143 arrests were effected for inciting violence.

On Thursday, we visited two sites in the City of eThekwini, Che Guevara and Sherwood Park areas, where about 457 and an estimated 7000 Malawian citizens respectively, have gathered for repatriation/deportation to their country. At Che Guevara the IMC communicated the government's stance that South Africa does not have refugee camps and that there is no intention to create camps even on a temporary basis. Accordingly, the people who are legally in South Africa were advised to either reintegrate into the communities in which they have been residing and they will receive protection from the police like all other citizens of our country or they could opt to be repatriated/deported back to their country of origin. Out of the 457 people who were at Che Guevara only 3 did not have a legal standing to be in the country.

Regarding the Malawian citizens at Sherwood, the Malawian government has commissioned 8 buses that will start moving their citizens today. To expedite the repatriation process, our government will support the effort with 10 additional buses for the deportation of some Malawian nationals. So far, 980 Malawians have been deported from Lindela on 10 June as part of the crackdown. Going forward, the re-establishment of a court at Lindela will ensure that deportations from Lindela centre will be expedited, engagement between Home Affairs and Department of Justice and the Gauteng Judge President has commenced in this regard.

The work to reestablish a court is at an advanced stage and will be completed within a month. Similarly, work to establish a priority court that handles, among others, immigration cases is advanced and the Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA) has provided space.

In addition to Malawi, Ghana and Nigeria are also repatriating their citizens. Amongst those who are being repatriated to their various countries, the Department of Home Affairs has found that some of them have been residing in South Africa illegally by overstaying their Visas. These individuals were determined to be in the country without valid documentation authorising their stay and in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Act, have been formally declared undesirable persons and barred from re-entering the country for a period of five years. The same has been done with undocumented immigrants from other countries.

We reiterate that only Home Affairs will be able to determine whether an individual is within the South African Borders legally or not. Further, they will be able to ensure consequences follow and systems are updated, such as declaring individuals undesirable if they are found to have been in the country illegally. Furthermore, they have a duty to ensure individuals who are here illegally exit our ports of entry by facilitating temporary documentation for exit purposes.

We acknowledge that migration is a regional challenge that requires coordinated diplomatic engagement. For this reason, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) will continue engaging SADC and the foreign ministries of affected countries to coordinate repatriation protocols, share operational information, and ensure that actions taken are consistent with regional commitments and mutual assistance arrangements. DIRCO will provide regular, factual briefings to foreign missions to prevent and counter misinformation and disinformation.

Our government appreciates the initiatives by several African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi on repatriating their citizens from South Africa. Government is actively cooperating with them to facilitate the safe, orderly, and voluntary repatriation of its citizens. We maintain that our immigration challenges must be addressed strictly through lawful, peaceful, and constitutional means.

The IMC has developed an implementation plan and the following work streams have been established to focus on :

• Urgent improvement of border-line infrastructure
• Social services and includes areas such as access to health, social services and education.
• Registration of small businesses and the informal sector.
• Review of applicable processes and standard operating procedures for asylum and refugees.

In addition, the technical committee of the IMC has set up the following work streams: law enforcement, border management, legal and regulatory, economic sectors, humanitarian welfare and social sectors, international relations, systems development and data integration and communication and stakeholder management.

Monitoring of the Implementation plan will take place through weekly IMC meetings, receiving reports from Workstreams and Lead Champions on the Matters. Furthermore, the IMC will conduct oversight visits to confirm the received reports were needed and this will be done in a transparent manner for accountability to the public.

The IMC will be embarking on Stakeholder engagements starting this Monday with Virtual meetings with Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 institutions, on Wednesday with the National House of Traditional Leaders and Khoisan San Communities. And we will communicate other stakeholder engagements once they are confirmed. These engagements are meant to explain the plans and how government is addressing the matter and receive feedback as from these critical stakeholders.

Government recognises that misinformation and disinformation are among the greatest drivers of instability in our communities, and we are confronting it head-on. We strongly caution the public about the spread of fake videos and images across various digital platforms, including social media. These old, staged, or heavily manipulated visuals are often part of a targeted disinformation campaign explicitly designed to incite violence, cause panic, fuel attacks on foreign nationals, and unfairly blame them for deep-seated socio-economic challenges like high unemployment and crime. Beyond causing internal domestic friction, these malicious campaigns are intentionally orchestrated to damage South Africa's hard-earned international reputation.

We acknowledge that irregular migration is an enormous challenge and that there are concerns by sections of our citizens. As government, we are fully aware of the impact of this challenge on our economic resources and the general strain this causes on the provision of social and economic services. All those who are protesting on our streets are within their constitutional right to do so.

We must however remind ourselves that constitutional rights are accompanied by obligations and responsibilities. One of these is peaceful protest and avoidance of violence and lawlessness in exercising these rights. Whatever march or protest is planned or undertaken, should be within the confines of the law. Government is ready to work hand in hand with all those involved in these protests including consistent engagements with organizers of these protests. We must safeguard and protect the safety of all South African citizens. In the same vein, we want to also remind the participants of these protests that the gatherings act imposes a liability for all damage arising from a gathering or demonstration.

Our approach is guided by the non-negotiable principle that South Africa remains a country governed by the rule of law. We therefore urge South Africans to recognise and acknowledge this principle. As government, we have the sole responsibility of executing law enforcement. We have observed disturbingly that some citizens are insisting on conducting identity checks and other immigration enforcement actions. This is illegal and should not be encouraged in our country. Only the state has the responsibility to enforce immigration laws and no one else. Citizens are, however encouraged to report or alert the law enforcement authorities whenever they suspect or witness acts of criminality.

We also need to vehemently correct the false narrative that South Africa is inherently xenophobic or unwelcoming to people of from outside our borders. South Africa has historically welcomed and continues to host people from diverse countries across the globe. Our nation remains deeply committed to the African Union Agenda 2063, which seeks to promote a better, more integrated Africa for all. As a constitutional democracy, we fully comply with international migration frameworks and remain a committed signatory to numerous global conventions that promote human dignity, equality, and the rule of law.

In conclusion, while the challenges of migration are complex, our path forward is guided by the Constitution and a shared commitment to the rule of law. Government calls all undocumented and illegal immigrants currently within our borders to immediately comply with our laws. Our authorities are working with several countries that are also voluntarily repatriating their citizens back to their countries of origin. The South African Government will not tolerate the circumvention of our immigration systems and laws. We also call upon employers to refrain from transgressing immigration and labour laws.

We call on all South Africans to reject the path of vigilantism, dismiss the noise of misinformation, and to partner with government as we restore stability to our neighbourhoods. As part of a unified national effort, we will manage this process in a way that safeguards our sovereignty, strengthens our public institutions, and builds a safe, inclusive, and prosperous society for everyone.

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