LIMPOPO – Government will scale down operations at the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre from 20 000 to 1 500 capacity from 1 August, following a sustained decline in the number of undocumented foreign nationals requiring processing at the facility.

The decision, announced by Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi on Sunday, comes as the government’s Five-Point Plan on Migration Management continues to yield results.

“The IMC has taken a decision at its regular meeting on Friday, 24 July 2026, that as of 1 August 2026, operations at the TRPC will be scaled down from 20 000 capacity to 1 500 capacity, after analysis of data trends for the past three weeks,” Kubayi said.

The centre was established in June to manage increased migration pressures and facilitate orderly repatriations.

Thousands processed

Kubayi said government has made significant progress in processing undocumented foreign nationals since migration pressures intensified in June.

Between 14 June and 24 July, a total of 68 138 foreign nationals were processed, with the majority repatriated following processing at the Musina centre. The majority were Malawian nationals, followed by Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals.

The Border Management Authority has also processed 72 906 repatriations through all ports of entry between 7 June and 14 July for various nationalities, including those processed through the centre.

South Africa’s dedicated immigration courts have also been processing migration-related matters at an accelerated pace. Between 1 April and the end of June, immigration courts finalised 28 736 immigration-related cases, mainly dealing with deportations.

Of these, Gauteng accounted for 13 312 cases, representing 46 per cent of the total, while KwaZulu-Natal finalised 4 973 cases. The Western Cape completed 3 334 cases and the Eastern Cape finalised 2 019 cases.

Processing to continue

The minister said the phased reduction in operations will not compromise government’s ability to process undocumented foreign nationals or carry out deportations and repatriations.

“The state remains with the legal obligation to continuously manage the issue of migration in the country and will continue to do so guided by the Five-Point Plan and immigration laws of our country,” she said.

Government has identified assembly points across municipalities to ensure it can respond quickly should migration pressures increase again.

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