South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is seeking to recover part of the nearly US$18 million it spent repatriating foreign nationals to their home countries, with Ghana notably excluded from the countries being asked to reimburse the costs.
The department has formally approached Nigeria, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to recover part of the expenses incurred in transporting, housing and supporting migrants who returned to their respective countries.
The development follows a briefing by South African Home Affairs officials to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, where the department outlined the scale of expenditure associated with the repatriation exercise.
Officials said a significant portion of the funds was used to hire buses to transport migrants, while other expenses covered temporary repatriation facilities, food, staff overtime and other operational costs.
The Director-General of Home Affairs, Tommy Makhode, said although the affected countries had provided some assistance, South Africa ultimately carried much of the financial burden.
“Letters have been sent to the embassies of these countries awaiting response,” he said.
Ghana Not on Reimbursement List
Ghana is not among the countries being asked to reimburse South Africa.
Ghana independently financed the evacuation of more than 1,600 of its nationals from South Africa following recent xenophobic attacks, using a combination of chartered and commercial flights.
The exercise was funded by the Government of Ghana, with additional support from private-sector partners.
Upon their arrival at the Accra International Airport, the returnees received reintegration allowances, transport fares and other relief items to assist them with their resettlement.
Sources indicate that South African authorities offered to support Ghana’s repatriation exercise, but the offer was declined as Ghana opted to bear the cost of evacuating its citizens.
The decision was widely welcomed in Ghana, with many commending the government for taking swift action to protect citizens and facilitate their safe return amid the attacks.
South Africa is now pursuing reimbursement from the five countries as it seeks to recover part of the costs incurred in facilitating the return of their nationals.
