The South African government has announced plans to begin charging foreign governments, including Nigeria, for the cost of deporting their citizens who violate the country’s immigration laws.
The move comes as authorities intensify efforts to curb illegal migration amid growing anti-immigration sentiment across the country.
According to reports by Channel Africa, the new policy was disclosed by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, which said the government intends to recover expenses incurred in detaining and deporting undocumented foreign nationals.
Officials revealed that more than 100,000 undocumented migrants have been deported over the past two years, a development they say has placed a significant financial burden on the government.
Under the proposed arrangement, countries whose citizens are arrested and deported for immigration-related offences will be required to cover the cost of their repatriation.
“Moving forward, we will also be billing countries for their foreign nationals who have to be deported or who are in our criminal detention facilities and have to be deported back into their countries,” the department said.
The government added that it would collaborate with the Department of Home Affairs to ensure the effective implementation of the policy.
The announcement is expected to spark reactions from several African nations, including Nigeria, whose citizens make up a significant portion of South Africa’s migrant population.
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