By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration have issued a stern warning that any acts of intimidation, violence or disruption by anti-illegal-immigration groups will be met with the full force of the law.
South Africa is bracing for protest action on 30 June by anti-illegal-immigration groups.
IMC provided the nation with an update on Friday, 26 June 2026, on the progress made to the government’s comprehensive approach to managing migration.
Chairperson Mmamoloko Kubayi said, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo had requested to repatriate their nationals at their own cost.
She said the repatriation is voluntary, and the requesting countries handled the transport and logistics, while South Africa provides provinces with verification, orders to leave, and case-by-case humanitarian assistance.
Kubayi said the government had intensified intelligence-led, prosecutorial-guided operations across the country.
She said that, as of June 21, a total of 89 public order and incitement-related incidents had been registered as criminal cases, up from 53 the previous week.
“A total of 164 people have been arrested for offences including incitement of violence, contravention of the Regulation of Gatherings Act, and other related transgressions.”
She said 36 of those cases are already before the courts, while 40 remain under active investigation.
Kubayi said multidisciplinary enforcement operations led by the deputy ministers of Home Affairs, Police, and Employment and Labour have continued in several provinces.
Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber stressed that people who violate laws do not lose their inherent human dignity and human rights.
“Some who violate a law or who are alleged to have violated the law, whether someone is accused of theft or someone is accused of illegally entering the country, do not void or lose their inherent human dignity or human rights,” the minister said.
He said, the Border Management Authority, with the Saps, South African National Defence Force (SANDF), and other agencies, maintains heightened vigilance at all land, air, and sea ports with static checkpoints and roadblocks at key corridors, including Beitbridge.
The minister of employment and labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, said the president’s plan to employ 10 000 labour inspectors will address the current shortfall of 2 300 inspectors tasked with overseeing over 2 million companies.
She said the first cohort of inspector interns will be employed over three years, with 3 800 onboarded by April and 7 300 in the final stages.
A budget of R5 billion has been allocated, and the department is engaging with the National Treasury and other entities for funding.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola emphasised that 30 June will be treated as a normal working day.
He said that foreign missions operating in the country are expected to continue carrying out their duties as usual.
Lamola said that his department remains in regular contact with diplomatic missions based in South Africa and has communicated that the South African government does not regard 30 June as an exceptional day requiring the closure of embassies or consulates.
“Our counterparts on the continent, all of them, understand that every country has to enforce its laws. The issue they raised is why must it be violent, this enforcement of the law, and that’s where we always clarify that it is not the responsibility of any group or private individuals in SA to enforce the law, it is the responsibility of the police.”
Authorities have urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully and within the confines of the law, while security agencies prepare for possible disruptions in parts of the country.
Kubayi said the IMC Technical Committee on Migration had identified a site outside Musina in Limpopo for a Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre.
“The repatriation centre currently utilised in eThekwini will be closed and all Malawian nationals will be transferred once all logistics are finalised.”
She said the proposed facility would enable faster processing and verification of undocumented foreign nationals, facilitate more efficient movement through the Beitbridge Port of Entry, and reduce pressure on the Lindela Repatriation Centre.