Home Affairs confirmed 586 Nigerians were processed for repatriation. First flight with 268 left Thursday amid protests against undocumented foreigners.
Nigerian passengers, who were repatriated from South Africa, disembark from a chartered plane after landing at the Murtala Muhammed international airport Lagos, Nigeria on June 11, 2026. The first group of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa following escalating anti-immigrant attacks landed in Lagos on June 11, 2026. (Photo by TOYIN ADEDOKUN / AFP)
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has confirmed that 586 Nigerian nationals were processed for repatriation after being in South Africa illegally, with the first repatriation flight carrying 268 passengers.
The first repatriation flight left in the morning on Thursday, carrying 268 passengers amid public demonstrations targeting undocumented foreign nationals.
DHA repatriating 586 Nigerians found illegally in SA
DHA said all the people processed were issued with emergency travel documents by the Nigerian High Commission, enabling their exit from South Africa and return to Nigeria.
“Home Affairs is irrevocably committed to enforcing South Africa’s immigration laws and restoring the rule of law,” the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said.
“Our ongoing orderly and lawful deportations and repatriations, which have increased by 46% over the past two years, [are] clear evidence of this.”
According to the department, all those found to be living in South Africa illegally have been declared undesirable persons and consequently prohibited from re-entering the country for a period of five years.
DHA acknowledged the cooperation and assistance provided by the Nigerian High Commission throughout the documentation and repatriation process.
A second flight is scheduled to depart on Monday, 15 June. It will transport the remaining Nigerians from the group of 586 processed.
Second flight on Monday
The department reminded all foreign nationals residing in South Africa that they are required to be in possession of valid visas or other authorisations that entitle them to remain in South Africa lawfully.
DHA said the foreign nationals must ensure that their immigration status remains compliant with South African immigration laws at all times and regularise their stay.
On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled the government’s strategy to tackle the escalating illegal immigration crisis.
Schreiber said the department’s reform agenda was affirmed by the president. The government’s plans include the ongoing scale-up of the Electronic Travel Authorisation to record biometrics for every foreigner entering our country; the replacement of the fraud-prone green ID book with smart ID cards through our digital partnership with the banks; and the introduction of a cutting-edge digital identity system.
“In this context of ongoing progress, the public is again urged to never engage in violence or take the law into their own hands,” the minister said.
