Home Affairs spent R552m on detaining and deporting illegal foreigners over three years

The Department of Home Affairs reported spending R552 million on the detention and deportation of illegal foreign nationals over the past three financial years. The disclosure, made by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber in response to parliamentary questions, breaks down costs and enforcement activity linked to immigration compliance.

How the R552m is split

Minister Schreiber said the detention of illegal foreigners cost R309.4 million across the three years. The annual detention figures given were R85.8 million in 2023/24, R103 million in 2024/25 and R119.8 million in 2025/26. He noted that “the processing cost is included in the overall contractual cost of the service provider managing Lindela Holding Facility.”

The deportation bill for the same period totalled R242.7 million, with yearly amounts of R67.6 million in 2023/24, R101.7 million in 2024/25 and R73.3 million in 2025/26.

Scale of removals and enforcement operations

Schreiber said at least 151,121 foreign nationals were deported over the three-year period. He also provided the total number of law enforcement operations carried out by the department and partners: 10,766 operations across the three financial years.

The minister gave a provincial breakdown of operations for the 2025/26 financial year: 731 in the Eastern Cape; 1,766 in the Free State; 1,626 in Gauteng; 907 in KwaZulu-Natal; 2,415 in Limpopo; 892 in Mpumalanga; 646 in the Northern Cape; 857 in Northwest; and 926 in the Western Cape.

Enforcement focus and interagency work

Responding to questions about inspections of businesses, Schreiber said the department “actively participates in inspections of businesses operated by foreigners as a critical stakeholder” in operations targeting foodborne and illicit trade areas. He described the department’s role as being “confined to the determination and verifications of foreign nationals who are found on business premises. Transgressors are arrested and charged in terms of the Immigration Act.”

Schreiber said the main enforcement measures include multi-agency inspections with the South African Police Service, the Department of Employment and Labour and municipal law enforcement, expanded capacity, heavier legal penalties, unannounced workplace raids and the establishment of specialised courts to expedite immigration-related prosecution and streamline deportation proceedings.

Political response and calls for repatriation programmes

The MK Party raised concerns about foreign nationals in South African prisons and the cost of housing them. The party said there were 13,266 sentenced and 14,614 awaiting-trial foreign nationals in prisons. Its spokesperson, Sifiso Mahlangu, said:

“Instead, billions are spent housing, feeding and securing foreign nationals who should be repatriated to their countries of origin.”

The MK Party has called for a government-led repatriation programme for foreign national prisoners and for prisoner exchange negotiations with neighbouring countries. Mahlangu said:

“The MK party will table this matter in parliament and demand urgent action.”