JOHANNESBURG — South Africa is asking several other African governments to reimburse it for the cost of sending tens of thousands of their citizens back home.
The request comes after South Africa deported or helped repatriate more than 80,000 immigrants, following protests and violence against illegal immigration.
According to the country’s Home Affairs department, which briefed lawmakers Tuesday, the country has spent nearly $18 million accommodating and transporting immigrants who demanded to return to their home countries.
The foreign ministry has sent written requests for compensation to Malawi, Ethiopia and Nigeria, officials said.
The money covered buses to transport immigrants, temporary repatriation centers and staff overtime, among other expenses. Tommy Makhode, the director-general of the Home Affairs department, described the costs as “unforeseen and unavoidable.”
Some municipalities and government departments involved in the repatriation are demanding compensation from the Home Affairs department, since the costs had not been budgeted for.
Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber has described the recent volume of repatriations and deportations as unprecedented.
The departures have come during heightened tensions over immigration in South Africa. Anti-illegal migration groups have held protests, and some attacks on foreign nationals have strained relations with other African governments.
The groups blame migrants for high unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.
Some countries in the region have accused the South African government of failing to protect its citizens, an accusation the government has denied.
Most recently, Ghana pushed for the situation in South Africa to be included in the agenda of an upcoming African Union meeting, a suggestion which was rejected by the continental body.
According to the latest government figures, 82,875 people have either been voluntarily repatriated or have been deported since the migration tensions began. However, figures released by governments of migrants’ home countries put the total at about 178,000.
The departures are part of a broader government crackdown. Between April and July, 16,078 nationals mostly from Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique were deported through the country’s Lindela Repatriation Centre.
South African law enforcement officials said last week they would intensify operations targeting illegal migration and related offenses.
Officials said they had arrested nearly 60,000 people who are in the country illegally, including 16,208 in July alone.
