South Africa has asked Nigeria, Malawi and Ethiopia to reimburse part of the R292 million (about $18.5 million) it says it spent repatriating foreign nationals amid an intensified crackdown on undocumented migration.

The Department of Home Affairs disclosed that the expenditure had significantly exceeded its original budget for deportation operations.

The department had initially allocated about R60 million for deportations but had spent approximately R292 million on the wider repatriation operation.

Home Affairs Director-General Tommy Makhode told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs that the department had contacted the Malawian government and the Nigerian and Ethiopian embassies through South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), requesting reimbursement of the costs incurred.

A substantial portion of the expenditure went towards transportation, as authorities moved undocumented migrants to repatriation centres and border points.

As of August 6, South Africa had processed 82,875 foreign nationals through its repatriation centres.

The figure does not include people who were repatriated before June 30 or those handled directly by the Border Management Authority.

Malawians reportedly constituted the largest group among those returning or being deported, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans.

The country has also continued deportations through the Lindela Repatriation Centre. According to Home Affairs figures, 16,078 foreign nationals were deported from Lindela between April 20 and July 28, compared with 44,607 deportations recorded during the previous financial year.

The repatriation drive intensified following a rise in anti-immigrant protests and concerns over the safety of foreign nationals in parts of South Africa. Several African governments have also facilitated voluntary returns for their citizens amid the tensions.

South African authorities have described the enforcement campaign as part of efforts to strengthen immigration control and tackle the presence of undocumented migrants in the country.

However, the financial cost of the operation has become a major issue for the government, with Home Affairs acknowledging that the scale of the repatriation exercise was not adequately covered by its existing budget.

The reimbursement request has already generated criticism in Nigeria.

Former Enugu State lawmaker and former South-East spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, rejected the demand and described the reported $18.5 million claim as an “illegal levy.”

He argued that Nigeria should not automatically be held responsible for expenses incurred by South African authorities during their immigration enforcement operations.

Onoh called for the matter to be subjected to diplomatic and legal review and urged Nigeria to seek clarification from Pretoria on the legal basis for the reimbursement request.

He also argued that Nigeria should raise concerns over the treatment of Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa, including losses allegedly suffered by foreign-owned businesses and individuals during episodes of xenophobic unrest.

The development could add another layer of tension to relations between Nigeria and South Africa, two of Africa’s largest economies.

Both countries maintain extensive diplomatic, commercial and people-to-people ties, but migration, xenophobia and the treatment of African nationals have remained sensitive issues.

South Africa is now awaiting responses from the countries it has contacted as it seeks to recover some of the money spent on the repatriation programme.