By Stephen Simon
South African authorities have imposed a five-year travel ban on 268 Nigerian nationals repatriated from the country after determining that none of them had legal immigration status, according to officials of the Department of Home Affairs. The group departed from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and arrived in Nigeria on Thursday as part of a voluntary repatriation programme coordinated by the governments of both countries.
Speaking at the airport, South Africa’s Head of Immigration Enforcement, Stephen van Neel, said all 268 Nigerians had undergone immigration screening and were found to be residing in the country unlawfully. He explained that under South Africa’s Immigration Act, foreign nationals whose visas have expired and were not renewed are classified as illegal residents and may be declared “undesirable persons.”
“Not a single person of the 268 is legal,” van Neel said, adding that all those processed for repatriation would be barred from re-entering South Africa for five years. He noted that the Nigerian High Commission issued emergency travel documents to facilitate their return home.
The repatriation comes amid growing anti-immigration tensions in South Africa, where protests targeting undocumented migrants have intensified in recent months. Nigerian authorities had earlier announced plans to evacuate citizens who expressed interest in returning home following reports of harassment, threats and xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals. More than 1,000 Nigerians reportedly registered for the voluntary return programme.
While Nigerian officials described the exercise as a humanitarian response to worsening hostility against migrants, South African authorities maintained that those being repatriated were primarily undocumented immigrants who had violated the country’s immigration laws. The Department of Home Affairs disclosed that 586 Nigerians had so far been processed for repatriation, with a second flight expected to transport the remaining returnees.
Van Neel also revealed that 66 Nigerians initially cleared for departure were found to possess approved asylum status and would need to formally cancel that status before joining subsequent repatriation flights. He said the screening process involved verifying each individual’s records through government immigration databases and conducting interviews in collaboration with Nigerian diplomatic officials.
The latest development follows similar repatriation exercises involving citizens of other African countries. In recent weeks, hundreds of Ghanaian nationals were also assisted to return home from South Africa, with many reportedly facing immigration-related challenges.
Although anti-immigration groups have been calling for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa before June 30, the South African government has distanced itself from claims that it issued an official deadline. Authorities have described such notices circulating online as false and urged the public to rely only on official government communications.
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, said the government remains committed to enforcing immigration laws through what he described as lawful and orderly deportations and repatriations, insisting that compliance with immigration regulations is essential to maintaining the rule of law.
