Overview
- Home Affairs told Parliament that as of 6 August 2026 at least 82,875 foreign nationals had been processed through temporary repatriation centres and Lindela.
- The department said it spent R292 million on the operation after budgeting only R60 million and that most of the additional cost went to buses used to move people to processing sites.
- Home Affairs has asked the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to seek repayment from Malawi, Nigeria and Ethiopia, a move Nigeria says it has not received while Malawi has ended its government-assisted return programme after bringing home 56,723 citizens.
- Officials reported 16,078 deportations through Lindela between 20 April and 28 July 2026 and 44,607 in the previous financial year, figures that reflect stepped-up enforcement after street campaigns by groups such as March and March and Operation Dudula.
- The unplanned bill has strained relations, stoked calls for cost transparency and forced municipalities and other departments that supported the operation to seek compensation, which could drive further legal and diplomatic talks over who pays and how future returns are handled.