South Africa says it has spent nearly $18 million moving more than 80,000 migrants out of the country, and now it wants other African nations to foot the bill.

In a move that is likely to stir fresh debate across the continent, South Africa is asking several African governments to reimburse it for the cost of repatriating tens of thousands of their citizens.

According to a briefing by the Department of Home Affairs to lawmakers on Tuesday, August 11 2026, as reported by cbinews.tv, the country has spent close to $18 million accommodating and transporting migrants who either demanded to return home or were deported following recent protests and violence linked to illegal immigration.

The department revealed that its foreign ministry has already sent formal written requests for compensation to Malawi, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

So what did the money go on? Officials say it covered buses, temporary repatriation centres, staff overtime and other logistical costs. Director-General Tommy Makhode described the expenditure as "unforeseen and unavoidable." In fact, some municipalities and government departments that helped with the operation are now asking Home Affairs itself to reimburse them, as the costs were never budgeted for.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has called the scale of recent repatriations and deportations unprecedented. The surge comes amid heightened tensions over immigration in South Africa, where anti-illegal migration groups have staged protests and, in some cases, attacks on foreign nationals have strained diplomatic relations.

The groups have blamed migrants for high unemployment, crime and pressure on public services. Some countries in the region, however, have accused the South African government of failing to protect their citizens, an allegation Pretoria denies. Ghana recently pushed for the situation to be added to the agenda of an upcoming African Union meeting, but the proposal was rejected by the continental body.

According to the latest government figures cited by cbinews.tv, 82,875 people have been voluntarily repatriated or deported since the tensions began. Yet figures released by the home countries of the migrants put the total far higher, at around 178,000.

Between April and July alone, 16,078 nationals, mostly from Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, were deported through the Lindela Repatriation Centre. Law enforcement officials said last week they would intensify operations targeting illegal migration, adding that they have arrested nearly 60,000 people who are in the country illegally, including 16,208 in July alone.

Credit: cbinews.tv

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