Kopanang Africa: migrant crisis continues despite mass repatriations

Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX) says the humanitarian crisis in South Africa has not ended despite rapid processing and large-scale repatriations through the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre and the Beitbridge border post. The group warned that the speed of removals does not resolve underlying rights, health and dignity concerns for displaced people.

Mass processing, persistent concerns

Government figures presented at an Inter-Ministerial Committee briefing show that 53,449 foreign nationals had been processed for deportation or repatriation by July 11, with roughly 80% reportedly Malawian nationals. Officials also said more than 20,000 people had passed through the Musina processing centre, with as many as 4,850 people moved in a single day.

KAAX argued that the government’s response should not be judged by how quickly people are processed or removed but by whether their constitutional rights, dignity and access to healthcare are protected throughout the process. The organisation said many of those processed through Musina were documented migrants who had lived in South Africa for years and that removing them would not address the wider issues behind the crisis.

Health and human rights risks

KAAX warned of foreseeable health risks linked to the conditions at processing centres, citing a cholera outbreak associated with similar conditions at the Musina site in 2008. The organisation said overcrowding and inadequate sanitation could increase disease transmission risks, especially among infants, pregnant women and older people.

KAAX said displaced people had experienced interruptions to critical medical treatment, including antiretroviral therapy (ART), tuberculosis treatment, antenatal care and chronic disease management, and that these interruptions would have consequences beyond the life of the processing centres. The group also said the psychological impact of displacement, family separation and violence was profound and enduring.

KAAX statement

“The government’s speed of removal is not evidence that this crisis has been addressed. A durable response must instead be judged by whether people’s rights, health and dignity including the constitutional right to healthcare regardless of documentation status are protected throughout this process.”

Government response and official framing

At the IMC briefing, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and IMC Chairperson Mmamoloko Kubayi described progress on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s five-point migration management plan, first announced on June 7. The plan focuses on enforcing immigration laws, securing borders, streamlining the immigration system, addressing policy gaps and strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries.

Kubayi said the government’s approach sought to balance public concerns about migration with constitutional obligations, and warned that unlawful actions by members of the public targeting suspected undocumented migrants would not be tolerated.

Kubayi quoted

“In implementing this plan, we are striving to achieve orderly and regular migration that is mindful of and sensitive to the concerns raised by our people, while observing the human rights and dignity of all people in our country, irrespective of their citizenship or immigration status.”

She also said reports of groups conducting searches of homes and businesses suspected of housing undocumented migrants were concerning and warned community members to refrain from such conduct.

Allegations of vigilante action and calls for accountability

Pastor and activist Nigel Branken said the situation had moved beyond migration management and raised serious concerns about the treatment of vulnerable communities. He linked the actions of vigilante groups and alleged failures to prevent intimidation and forced displacement to broader accountability questions.

“What we are witnessing looks increasingly like a campaign of ethnic cleansing being driven by vigilante groups, while the state risks becoming complicit by failing to stop unlawful raids, intimidation and forced displacement, and by conducting mass deportation and repatriation operations in the same climate of xenophobic hostility.”

Branken also criticised what he described as an inadequate official response to reports of police failing to intervene during door-to-door raids and private identity checks.

Ongoing warning

KAAX concluded that the threat facing migrants had not passed, warning that fear and insecurity continued to affect access to healthcare. The organisation said the state had a responsibility to ensure adequate shelter, food, water, sanitation and uninterrupted healthcare for those affected by displacement.