South Africa deports 2,745 foreigners amid crackdown

South Africa has deported 2,745 foreign nationals in a single week and arrested more than 40,000 undocumented migrants this year, as the government intensifies a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration. The actions follow a pledge by President Cyril Ramaphosa to strengthen enforcement amid growing public concern and a series of anti-immigrant protests.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced the deportation figure on Sunday, June 14, 2026, stating the number was a moving target that could rise further. The government said most of those removed were living in the country illegally. The deportations are part of a broader enforcement push that includes intelligence-led operations at ports of entry and raids targeting undocumented migrants and their employers.

The crackdown coincides with a wave of social unrest targeting foreign nationals in recent weeks. Mobs have marched in several areas, ordering people without residency papers to leave, and there have been incidents of looting and violence. Tensions escalated after two Mozambicans were killed following an anti-migrant march in the Western Cape town of Mossel Bay on May 29; Mozambican authorities put the death toll at...