LIMPOPO – The Musina Repatriation Centre in Limpopo continues to experience a steady influx of undocumented migrants, with long queues forming daily as officials work to verify, profile and process new arrivals.
The surge in arrivals comes amid ongoing immigration enforcement operations and growing anti-immigrant sentiment in parts of South Africa, which have prompted many undocumented foreign nationals to voluntarily return home or report to authorities for processing and repatriation.
Migrants from across South Africa are being transported to the facility, placing increasing pressure on resources and operations at the busy border-town centre. Humanitarian organisations have stepped in to provide critical assistance, including food, water and other basic necessities for those awaiting processing.
South Africa’s Home Affairs Chief Director at the centre, Albert Matsaung, said the number of arrivals rarely falls below a thousand people at any given time.
“You will never have anything that is less than a thousand. It will be 1,000, 2,000 or even 3,000 people, and they continue to arrive, being dropped off by buses coming from all nine provinces,” said Matsaung.
He added that authorities are also monitoring several locations within municipalities where undocumented migrants are temporarily camping while awaiting assistance from their respective embassies.
“There are areas within municipalities where people are camping. As and when information is received and embassies are informed, they then arrange transportation. Home Affairs also comes on board to ensure that those individuals are properly profiled and processed,” he said.
The continued influx has turned Musina into the focal point of South Africa’s repatriation efforts, with authorities and aid organisations racing to manage the growing humanitarian and logistical demands at the border facility.
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