Zim GBC News | South African Correspondent
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa is ramping up efforts to deport undocumented migrants, with its Home Affairs Minister stating the country is focusing on those who compete with citizens for jobs in an economy grappling with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates.
The nation “is a neglected part of the global migration story,” Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said in an interview on Bloomberg Television on Friday, warning that the contestation between foreigners and locals for employment has become “a real tinderbox.”
“We’ve deported 51,000 people in the last year – that’s more than France and Germany combined. If we had more resources, we’d be doing more of that,” Minister Schreiber stated.
As the continent’s most industrialized economy, South Africa is a major destination for job seekers from neighboring countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. However, this occurs against a backdrop of a 33.2% official unemployment rate, a situation that has frequently fueled tensions and violent clashes between locals and foreign nationals.
Minister Schreiber, a member of the Democratic Alliance which is part of South Africa’s coalition government, defended the approach.
“We’re anchoring what we do in the rule of law to make sure that we also protect social cohesion, even as we enhance our enforcement operations,” he said.
The policy evokes memories of past xenophobic violence, including the 2008 attacks that left about 60 people dead and 50,000 displaced. Similar riots erupted in 2015 and 2019, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to apologize to other African nations for the treatment of their citizens.
The deportation drive comes as South Africa’s unprecedented coalition government, formed after the African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in 2024, navigates internal disagreements.
Despite reported clashes over policy, Minister Schreiber expressed optimism about the coalition’s stability.
“We’re in a better space now than we were initially,” he said, adding that disputes “are quite normal in any society with a coalition government.”
Stay connected with us:
X (Twitter):@ZimGbc
Instagram:@ZimGBCNews
TikTok:@ZimGBCNews_01
Facebook:Zim GBC News
YouTube:Zim GBC News
Get real-time alerts on WhatsApp:
+263 773 820 323
For in-depth coverage, visit our website: www.zimgbcnews.co.zw
Zim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective©2025