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Who is paying for SA to deport more than 80,000 people?

Sowetan · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 819 words · By Tara Roos
Government Expenditure Migration Management Border security
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What to know about Government Expenditure

Story audio is generated using AI The mass repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals has cost the state almost R293m, more than five times the department of home affairs’ annual allocation for deportations.

Claims checked 19
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Story audio is generated using AI The mass repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals has cost the state almost R293m, more than five times the department of home affairs’ annual allocation for deportations.

Why it matters

The department is now seeking additional funding for an operation it says was not budgeted for.

Common ground

Home affairs director-general Tommy Makhode told parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs on Tuesday that the department and other government entities involved in the operation had not budgeted for the large-scale repatriation drive.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-08-12-repatriation-costs-of-almost-r300m-str…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
Claim 1: “More than 54,000 of those repatriated were Malawian nationals”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence mentions Malawians being processed and a general number of 140,000 Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals, but does not specifically confirm the 'more than 54,000' figure for Malawians alone.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Home Affairs is still processing many Malawians, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans through the Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre (TRPC) at Musina. Nigeria’s foreign ministry said a fifth — and last —…
https://ultimatepost.dantty.com/post/10028
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — MORE than 140 000 Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals fleeing anti-migrant violence in South Africa have been repatriated through the Beitbridge Border Post, as Government intensifies efforts to receive…
https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/72-000-repatriated-th…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 00:00An exodus of Malians from South Africa is continuing, with more than 3,000 Malian nationals now deported or repatriated.00:22Since the repatriation started, we have 1,549 that have arrived in Mal…
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xahuo3q
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Claim 2: “Home affairs received R60m from the criminal assets recovery account for the operation.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Home Affairs received R60 million from the Criminal Assets Recovery Account.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1870–71 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators we…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1870–71_United_States_Senate_e…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with a bicameral legislature. Public officials in the legislative and executive branches are either elected by the citizens (directly or indirectly) or a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_France
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In South Africa the Department of Public Enterprises is the shareholder representative of the South African Government with oversight responsibility for state-owned enterprises in key sectors. Some co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-owned_enterprises_of_Sou…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 3: “The facility was designed to accommodate up to 20,000 people.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 4: “Home affairs recorded 82,875 people processed for deportation and repatriation by August 6.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm the Home Affairs figure of 82,875 people processed by early August/August 6.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Home affairs recorded 82,875 people processed for deportation and repatriation by August 6. The figures cover different stages of the process, with the BMA recording people who ultimately passed throu…
https://www.businessday.co.za/news/2026-08-12-repatriation-c…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Home Affairs recorded 82,875 people processed for deportation or repatriation by early August; the Border Management Authority counted closer to 90,000 through official ports of exit.
https://bricscg.com/south-africas-deportation-bill/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Home Affairs brings together Australia's federal law enforcement, national and transport security, criminal justice, emergency management, multicultural affairs, settlement services and immigration an…
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/
schedule
Claim 5: “the authority had refused entry to 12,100 people as screening at land ports was intensified.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 6: “the department of public works & infrastructure spent R48m establishing and operating the temporary repatriation processing centre in Musina.”
CORROBORATED
The expenditure of R48 million by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for the Musina facility is reported by multiple sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH; Filipino: Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Pambayan) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for serving as the c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Public_Works_and…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI; formerly the Department of Public Works) is one of the ministries of the South African government. It is responsible for public infrastructure …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Public_Works_and…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Public Works Department (PWD) in India is a governmental organization responsible for the construction, maintenance, and management of public infrastructure, including roads, bridges, buildings, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Works_Department_(India…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 7: “The largest component is R203.5m for buses procured through a travel agency”
SINGLE SOURCE
While other sources confirm the total cost, the specific breakdown of R203.5m for buses via a travel agency is not corroborated by the provided evidence. One source mentions R233-million spent on buses, which contradicts the R203.5m figure.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Carrigallen (Irish: Carraig Álainn, meaning 'beautiful rock') is a small village in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is on the R201 and R203 roads in the east of the county, 19 km west of Cavan town. As of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrigallen
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The greater spot-nosed monkey or putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) is one of the smallest Old World monkeys. It is a guenon of the C. mitis group, native to West Africa and living to some e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_spot-nosed_monkey
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus. Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflex
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 8: “Home affairs recorded 63,090 declarations of undesirability in 2025/26 and 20,340 in the current financial year to date.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 9: “deportations increased by 46% over the two years”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding a 46% increase in deportations over two years.
schedule
Claim 10: “The BMA separately incurred R11.8m in additional costs”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 11: “The operation forms part of the government’s five-point approach to migration management, approved by cabinet in June.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “Between April and June, a total of 28,736 illegal immigration cases were finalised nationally, with Gauteng accounting for 13,312.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 13: “89,936 people had been repatriated through South Africa’s ports of entry by August 7.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific figure of 89,936 people repatriated by August 7 is mentioned in one source citing the BMA, but not independently corroborated by a second source with that exact number.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August falls in summer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the month falls du…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — August is after July and before September. August, in either hemisphere, is the seasonal equivalent of February in the other. In the Northern hemisphere it is a summer month and it is a winter month i…
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/August
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 30, 2026 · Do you know whom August is named after, what August babies are called, and the holidays this month? Are you a fan of this harvest month, which brings the bounty of the season, or do you…
https://www.almanac.com/content/month-august-holidays-fun-fa…
schedule
Claim 14: “Census 2022 recorded more than 2.4-million international migrants, equivalent to just above 3% of the population.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 15: “The department’s presentation put the known cost at R292.77m.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web sources explicitly cite the Department's presentation figure of R292.77 million.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department of Home Affairs is a department of the South African government. It is the custodian of the identity of all South African citizens. Home Affairs is responsible for, among other things, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Home_Affairs_(So…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The executive branch of the national government of South Africa is divided into the cabinet and the civil service, as in the Westminster system. Public administration, the day-to-day implementation of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departments_of_the_Government_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A South African passport (also colloquially referred to as the 'Green Mamba' or the 'Biltong Book' by South Africans) is a travel document issued to citizens of South Africa for the purpose of interna…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_passport
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 16: “4,239 undocumented people were intercepted attempting to enter South Africa illegally between April 1 and July 21.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 17: “about 27,000 were Zimbabwean nationals who exited through the Beitbridge corridor.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results to confirm the specific number of 27,000 Zimbabwean nationals exiting through Beitbridge.
schedule
Claim 18: “The department’s presentation shows a R57m allocation for deportations through Lindela for 2026/27”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 19: “The mass repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals has cost the state almost R293m”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources report the cost of repatriation as almost R293 million (or specifically R292.77 million).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Late Pleistocene to the beginning of the Holocene saw the extinction of the majority of the world's megafauna, typically defined as animal species having body masses of 45 kg (99 lb) or more, whic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Pleistocene_extinctions
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thohoyandou (Venda: Ṱhohoyanḓou) is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It is the administrative centre of Vhembe District Municipality and Thulamela Local Municipality. It is also known f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thohoyandou
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Water supply and sanitation in South Africa is characterised by both achievements and challenges. After the end of Apartheid South Africa's newly elected government struggled with the then growing ser…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.