South Africa has spent more than R52m in just five months to deport over 19 000 illegal immigrants, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber revealed in a written reply to a parliamentary question from EFF MP Thapelo Mogale.

Mogale argued that the funds could have been better used to strengthen border management and prevent unauthorised entries into the country.

Schreiber confirmed that 19 750 undocumented immigrants were deported at a cost of R52 817 656.

He added that Home Affairs was on track for its ‘strongest immigration enforcement performance in years’.

“We are now on track to outperform last year by 50%, when there were 39 627 deportations over 12 months.

“This year, we are on course for a 164% increase compared with 2022/23, which saw only 22 436 deportations,” Schreiber said.

To combat illegal migration, Schreiber earlier announced the re-establishment of the Immigration Advisory Board and plans to expand inspections at business establishments.

This initiative aims to address the employment of undocumented migrants and advise on issues such as the future of the Zimbabwean exemption permit.

Inspections at restaurants, shops, farms and mines are set to increase by over 50%, with joint operations involving the police and other departments.

During his 100-day briefing, Schreiber outlined plans to enhance national security through the ‘Home Affairs @ Home’ digital transformation initiative.

This project, using biometric technology and machine learning, aims to combat identity fraud and monitor visa applications by cross-referencing data with criminal databases.

The system will track overstays in real-time through integration with the Border Management Authority (BMA).

He also highlighted efforts to expand Home Affairs services online, including turning community centres into virtual offices and partnering with banks to enhance service delivery without additional costs.

Travellers will soon need to register on a secure online platform to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), replacing paper-based visas with a unique digital code linked to their passport information.

“As part of the ETA process, travellers will be required to provide their biometrics to Home Affairs.

“Over time, this system will replace traditional visas,” Schreiber said.

He added that South Africa hosts more than 150 000 recorded asylum seekers and refugees, with the majority coming from Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Bangladesh.

The country has 68 991 active refugees, including 21 202 from Somalia, 13 680 from Ethiopia, 20 624 from the DRC, 3 408 from Zimbabwe and 932 from Rwanda.

Additionally, 94 416 foreign nationals hold valid Section 22 permits, while 85 862 cases have been renewed more than once.

Last week, Schreiber reported that the Department of Home Affairs had disciplined 31 officials and facilitated prosecution against two others over the past three months.

The disciplinary actions included dismissals, suspensions without pay and final written warnings.