South Africa demands $18.5 million from Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia to cover deportation costs

• South Africa wants Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia to reimburse $18.5 million spent on deportations and repatriations.

• More than 80,000 immigrants were sent back to their home countries.

• The demand comes amid rising tensions over illegal immigration and foreign nationals in South Africa.

South Africa is asking Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia to reimburse about $18.5 million it spent deporting and repatriating their citizens, after more than 80,000 immigrants were sent back to their home countries.

The request comes amid heightened tensions over immigration in South Africa, where anti-illegal migration groups have staged protests and accused foreign nationals of contributing to unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.

According to the country’s Home Affairs Department, which briefed lawmakers on Tuesday, the government spent nearly $18 million accommodating and transporting immigrants who were deported or requested to return home.

South Africa’s foreign ministry has now written to the governments of Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia seeking reimbursement for the costs incurred during the exercise. None of the three governments had responded to the request as of the time of the report.

The costs went beyond transporting people out of the country. South Africa says it also had to provide buses, temporary repatriation centres and additional staff to manage the large number of departures.

Tommy Makhode, director-general of the Home Affairs Department, described the expenses as “unforeseen and unavoidable”, while some municipalities and government departments involved in the exercise have also asked to be compensated.

Those costs were not included in their original budgets, meaning the repatriation exercise has created an unexpected financial burden for different levels of government.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has described the recent volume of deportations and repatriations as unprecedented, with the scale of departures coming at a time when tensions over immigration have increased across the country.

The departures followed protests and violence linked to concerns about illegal immigration. Anti-illegal migration groups have increasingly blamed migrants for problems including high unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.

The tensions have also contributed to attacks on foreign nationals and strained relations between South Africa and other African countries whose citizens live and work there.

South Africa’s latest request therefore adds a financial dimension to an already sensitive immigration issue. The country is now seeking to recover part of the money it says was spent handling the large-scale repatriation exercise from the governments of three countries whose citizens were among those sent home.

For Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia, the next step will depend on how their governments respond to the reimbursement requests sent by South Africa’s foreign ministry.

READ NEXT: Popular pastor renounces Christianity to become a Babalawo, calls foreign religions "lies"