South Africa says it has spent R292.77 million on repatriation operations, far exceeding its deportation budge…reports Africa Daily News Desk
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has incurred about R292.77 million ($18.5 million) in repatriation-related costs, significantly exceeding its R60 million budget for deportations, as the government seeks to recover expenses from countries whose nationals were returned.
The department has identified Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia among the countries whose governments it says have been approached for reimbursement. Home Affairs said it had written to Malawi’s government and contacted the Nigerian and Ethiopian embassies through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
However, Nigeria has disputed South Africa’s account, saying it has not received any formal request for payment. Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa told the BBC on Wednesday: “We never received any request.”
Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, also told the BBC that she had not received a reimbursement request from the South African government.
The conflicting positions point to a discrepancy between Pretoria’s claim that reimbursement requests were communicated through diplomatic channels and Abuja’s assertion that no such demand has reached its foreign ministry or diplomatic mission.
Ghana has also rejected any suggestion that it owes South Africa money for repatriation-related costs. In a statement issued on Thursday, Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said it had taken note of South Africa’s reported demand for about $18 million from several African countries.
According to Business Insider Africa, Accra rejected the suggestion that South Africa should be reimbursed for the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals.
“The evacuation of all our compatriots was fully funded by the government of Ghana and our Ghanaian partners. Ghana did not seek any financial or material support from the South African government to bring our fellow nationals back home,” the Ghanaian Foreign Ministry said.
It also assured citizens that Ghana would not be among the countries asked to reimburse South Africa for repatriation costs.
The dispute comes as South Africa steps up immigration enforcement and repatriation operations. Home Affairs has described the spending as an unexpected burden on its budget, with transportation, accommodation, staffing and other operational expenses contributing to the increased costs.
The differing responses from Nigeria and Ghana could complicate Pretoria’s efforts to recover the money and raise questions over who should bear the financial responsibility for repatriation operations.
