The rising cost of deportation: South Africa's R80 million expenditure on undocumented immigrants
Two Zimbabwean border jumpers drag themselves under one of the fences that separates the two countries.
Image: Picture: Shayne Robinson
Parliamentary data from the Department of Home Affairs shows that nearly R80 million was spent deporting undocumented immigrants in the 2024/2025 financial year, reflecting a sharp rise in both removals and overall expenditure over three years.
The figures were disclosed in a written response by Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber to a question from Patriotic Alliance Member of Parliament Millicent Mothapa.
Mothapa had asked: "What total amount has his department spent on the deportation of illegal immigrants in the past three financial years, and the number of illegal immigrants who were deported?"
Dr Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs
Image: Ayanda Ndamane | Independent Newspapers
In his written reply, Schreiber confirmed that deportation expenditure has increased significantly:
2022/2023 financial year: R32,237,558 spent on deporting 22,560 undocumented foreign nationals.
2023/2024 financial year: Expenditure jumped to R67,614,902 for the deportation of 39,627 people.
2024/2025 financial year: Costs ballooned to R78,140,005, with 51,650 individuals classified as "undesired people" deported.
These figures follow an earlier parliamentary exchange reported by IOL in 2024, when the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) raised concerns about deportation costs during the first months of the 2024/2025 financial year.
At the time, EFF MP Thapelo Mogale asked about spending between April and August. In his reply, Schreiber confirmed that the department deported 19,750 illegal foreigners between 1 April and 31 August 2025, at a cost of over R52.8 million.
Enforcement efforts have also intensified at the country’s borders.
In August, IOL reported that South Africa’s border guards intercepted 9,954 individuals attempting to enter the country illegally. The update came from Border Management Authority (BMA) commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato, who was presenting the authority’s performance report for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, covering 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2025.
At the time, Masiapato said immigration specialists processed 8,582,250 passengers entering and leaving South Africa through ports of entry over that period.
"Regarding conventional border law enforcement work as undertaken by the border guards, a total of 9,954 persons were intercepted, apprehended and deported as they were attempting to enter the country illegally," Masiapato explained.
"Of the 9,954 persons, 5,826 were undocumented, 2,127 were inadmissible, and 2,001 were undesirables."
The Department of Home Affairs and the BMA say the increasing numbers reflect both intensified operations and the significant pressures placed on national immigration-control systems.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News