SA moves to tighten immigration as Beitbridge departures top 35,000

More than 35,000 people have been deported or voluntarily repatriated through the Beitbridge border crossing since the start of last month, while South Africa moves to implement Cabinet-approved immigration reforms that would tighten asylum rules and strengthen border controls.

What happened at Beitbridge

Authorities say more than 35,000 people have left South Africa through Beitbridge since the start of last month. The figure includes more than 2,400 people processed since Wednesday alone, following the March and March protests against undocumented immigrants.

A temporary repatriation centre was erected just outside Musina within days; officials said it can house up to 20,000 people. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber posted on social media that the centre’s completion “shows the excellence that exists within the department”.

Border processing and checks

At Beitbridge, acting Border Management Agency commissioner Major-General David Chilembe said:

“We are dealing with three processes: deportation, voluntary repatriation and the normal facilitation of movement of people and goods.”

Chilembe described a strict legal process for deportation that includes citizenship verification, biometric registration, fingerprint checks, criminal record screening and confirmation of nationality before anyone is returned to their country. He also said fingerprint checks are made against criminal databases to identify suspects attempting to evade prosecution.

Chilembe added:

“Because of crime, we go through the fingerprints process so that when we find somebody trying to evade justice by getting into the repatriation, we can then deal with them.”

Cabinet-approved reforms

In April, Cabinet approved the Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, which outlines a broad overhaul of immigration policy. The White Paper aims to strengthen border security, curb fraud and abuse, modernise immigration administration and align migration policy with economic growth objectives.

Among the proposals is the adoption of the “first safe country principle”, which would prevent asylum seekers who already received protection in another country, or travelled through a designated safe third country, from claiming asylum in South Africa. The policy also seeks to strengthen regional cooperation in managing refugee flows.

Changes to citizenship, visas and technology

The White Paper proposes replacing the largely time-based naturalisation system with a merit-based citizenship framework, including a citizenship advisory panel and a points-based pathway for qualifying applicants. It also proposes new visa categories for remote workers, entrepreneurs, skilled professionals and sports and cultural talent, alongside a points-based system for selected visas and permanent residence.

To modernise border processing, the paper proposes the roll-out of an electronic travel authorisation system to digitise visa applications, strengthen biometric screening and improve border security.

Public response and migration context

The Forum for South Africa criticised the government’s approach, saying:

“South Africans are demanding secure borders, the enforcement of immigration laws and the removal of those in the country unlawfully. Instead of acting decisively, government continues to establish committees, hold dialogues and make excuses while communities are left to deal with the consequences.”

Statistics South Africa’s latest Migration Statistics Report, based on the 2022-23 Income and Expenditure Survey, estimates that more than three million immigrants live in South Africa, representing about 5.1% of the population. The report states that 63.6% of these immigrants originate from Southern African Development Community countries, with most being men aged between 35 and 39.

This article is based on reporting from The Citizen.