In the 2025/26 financial year, South Africa deported 57,784 people, a significant rise from the 14,589 deported in 2020/21.Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber emphasised that managing undocumented immigration is crucial to maintaining social cohesion, particularly given tensions between South Africans and migrants.

The increase in deportations follows the launch of Operation Siyasebenta in 2022, aimed at addressing undocumented work, and a joint initiative with police and the Department of Labour called Operation Shanela, targeting various crimes including immigration violations.Despite the rise since 2020, deportation numbers are still below the annual average of 67,000 recorded between 2010 and 2019.Protests by anti-immigration movements like March and March have also brought attention to the issue, with calls for stricter immigration controls.Historically, South Africa has seen much higher deportation figures, with over 300,000 people removed in 2007.The Department of Home Affairs continues to tackle illegal immigration as part of broader social and crime prevention measures.