Colletta Dube
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
SOUTH Africa’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has expressed satisfaction with the coordinated efforts of the Department of Home Affairs and its partners in processing, deporting and repatriating undocumented migrants through the Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre (TRPC) in Musina and the Beitbridge Port of Entry.
The committee conducted the first leg of its urgent oversight visit on Tuesday as part of its constitutional mandate to monitor the implementation of immigration legislation, assess operational readiness and ensure that the rights and dignity of all affected persons are protected throughout the repatriation process.
During the visit, members of the committee received a comprehensive operational briefing and toured the processing facility, where they observed the registration, verification and repatriation systems in operation.
Officials informed the legislators that more than 38 000 foreign nationals had been processed for deportation and repatriation in less than a week as of Saturday, 4 July 2026, with the cumulative number having since exceeded 45 000.
In a statement issued after the visit, the committee said the TRPC had been established under the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration to facilitate the efficient registration, verification and processing of undocumented foreign nationals while ensuring access to humanitarian services.
“The committee noted that the TRPC was established under the auspices of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration to facilitate the efficient registration, verification and processing of undocumented foreign nationals while ensuring the provision of humanitarian services, including food, healthcare and other essential support. Situated on land belonging to the Department of Public
Works and Infrastructure, the facility has the capacity to accommodate up to 20 000 people at any given time,” said the committee.
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Mr Mosa Chabane, commended the level of cooperation among the various institutions involved in the operation.
“The committee has been encouraged by the level of coordination demonstrated by the Department of Home Affairs, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, diplomatic missions and humanitarian organisations,” he said.
“Such cooperation is essential to ensuring that immigration laws are implemented effectively while safeguarding the dignity and fundamental rights of every individual throughout the process.”
Mr Chabane said the committee was particularly impressed by the speed and efficiency with which large numbers of migrants had been processed.
“Our oversight responsibility is to satisfy ourselves that the systems in place are lawful, efficient, humane and capable of responding to operational demands,” he said.
“The information presented to the committee and the observations made on site indicate significant progress in this regard.
“We will, however, continue to monitor the implementation of these processes to ensure that they remain compliant with the Constitution, applicable legislation and South Africa’s international obligations.”
He also commended the governments of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, together with their municipalities, for supporting the national government’s response by availing resources to facilitate the operation.
However, Mr Chabane expressed concern over the underfunding of the Border Management Authority (BMA), an issue that was raised during the authority’s briefing to the committee.
He said the committee, working together with other parliamentary committees in the security cluster, would await a comprehensive report from the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration once the repatriation exercise had been concluded.
Following the Musina visit, the committee also conducted an oversight inspection at the Beitbridge Port of Entry, where members assessed border management operations and monitored the implementation of repatriation processes at one of South Africa’s busiest border crossings.
Bunjiwe Mkwananzi