The department of home affairs says it has deported more than 100,000 undocumented immigrants over the past two financial years, reflecting a sharp increase in enforcement.
According to the department, deportations have risen by 30% — from 39,672 in 2023/24 to 51,560 in 2024/25 — since the start of the seventh administration in June 2024.
“This was followed by a further annual increase of 12% to 57,784 in 2025/26. Over the past two financial years, deportations have surged by a cumulative 46%, totalling 109,344 by the end of March 2026,” said Andre Gaum, acting spokesperson for home affairs minister Leon Schreiber.
Our message remains clear: if you are in South Africa illegally, self-deport now before we find you and ban you from ever entering our country legally in future
— Leon Schreiber, home affairs minister
The figures show the department is beginning to reap the benefits of reforms aimed at improving efficiency and intensifying enforcement against immigration violators, said Schreiber.
“Through ongoing campaigns like Operation New Broom, as well as the increasing use of biometric verification tools, we have already increased deportations by 46%. Our message remains clear: if you are in South Africa illegally, self-deport now before we find you and ban you from ever entering our country legally in future,” he said.
Schreiber added that while enforcement efforts are yielding results and scaling up each year, the department remains focused on deterrence and modernisation.
“The deployment of drone and body camera technology has already made a difference, while the impending scale-up of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system will record biometrics for every foreigner entering the country, dramatically enhancing our ability to detect and arrest anyone who is in South Africa illegally.”
Sowetan
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