Pretoria: Over 40,000 illegal foreign nationals have been arrested since the beginning of 2026, with more than 7,400 arrests made in the past month alone, as the South African government intensifies efforts to tackle illegal immigration and strengthen border security. The figures were revealed during a media briefing by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration, constituted by President Cyril Ramaphosa to coordinate the government's work on migration and oversee the implementation of various interventions.
According to South African Government News Agency, the IMC is led by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, and includes departments such as Home Affairs, Small Business Development, Defence, International Relations and Cooperation, Employment and Labour, Basic Education, Higher Education and Training, as well as the South African Police Service. Additional requests have been made to include the Departments of Transport, Trade, Industry and Competition, and Social Development.
The Comprehensive Approach for Migration Management, presented by President Ramaphosa in his nationwide address on Sunday, 7 June, showcases the government's strategy to address illegal immigration effectively. The President's five-point strategy includes strengthening border security, upholding the Rule of Law, tackling corruption in the immigration system, curbing violence and lawlessness, and refining legislative frameworks. This plan also involves collaboration with other African nations to create a cohesive regional response to migration challenges.
During the media briefing, Kubayi highlighted the deployment of advanced technologies by the Border Management Authority (BMA), such as drones and body-worn cameras, and the establishment of additional checkpoints along key transport routes. An anti-corruption awareness campaign was also held at the Oshoek port of entry to address corruption issues, with static checkpoints instituted at key corridors like Beitbridge for effective interception of illegal entries.
Kubayi cited recent successes, including the interception of nine Bangladeshi nationals with fraudulent visas at OR Tambo International Airport and the seizure of ABBA, a Mandrax precursor worth nearly one billion Rands, at Beitbridge. These efforts are part of intelligence-led operations, roadblocks, compliance inspections, and multidisciplinary actions to identify, arrest, and process those unlawfully in the country.
Government operations, led by the Deputy Ministers of Home Affairs, Police, and Labour and Employment, have also targeted business premises and communities in regions like Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng. In Mossel Bay, Western Cape, 15 foreign nationals were arrested for immigration-related issues, while a night operation in Newcastle, KZN, resulted in the arrest of a business owner and undocumented migrants. A similar operation in Tshwane led to 35 arrests, including two employers for hiring undocumented foreign nationals.
Kubayi emphasized the government's commitment to controlling illegal immigration, adding that 143 people have been arrested for inciting violence.