Government has closed the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre in Limpopo after processing nearly 49 000 foreign nationals since the facility was established in June.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration on Thursday, 48 948 foreign nationals were processed at the temporary centre near the Beitbridge Port of Entry.
Of those, 46 744 - or 95.5% - were classified as people who had crossed the border outside designated ports of entry, while 2 204, or 4.5%, had reported through a port of entry.
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The majority of those processed were Malawian nationals, followed by Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals.
The centre was established on 26 June 2026 as a temporary measure to manage increased migration pressures and provide for the lawful and orderly processing of undocumented migrants requiring assisted repatriation.
It brought together officials from the Department of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority (BMA), South African Police Service (SAPS), health and social development departments, as well as humanitarian organisations.
Government said the decision to close the facility followed a sustained decline in the number of people requiring processing and repatriation assistance.
Its operational capacity had already been reduced from 20 000 to about 1 500 people from 1 August as the number of arrivals declined.
In the period before its closure, there were days when no people presented for processing.
Government said the cost of maintaining the temporary facility, including hired equipment, generator fuel, additional security and the deployment of officials, also contributed to the decision to decommission it.
The dismantling of tents and other temporary infrastructure began on 21 August 2026.
Government stressed that the closure does not signal an end to deportations or repatriations.
"Immigration enforcement, deportation and facilitated repatriation remain the exclusive responsibility of the State," the IMC said, adding that these operations would continue in accordance with South Africa's immigration laws, constitutional obligations and international commitments.
It also clarified that undocumented migrants would not automatically be transferred to the Lindela Repatriation Centre following the closure of the Musina facility.
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Instead, authorities will determine the appropriate processing or detention facility based on individual circumstances, legal requirements, available capacity, location and operational considerations.
The IMC said Lindela remains one of the authorised facilities that can be used where appropriate.
It will also continue working with neighbouring countries, diplomatic missions, the International Organisation for Migration and humanitarian organisations to facilitate safe and coordinated returns.
The temporary centre had demonstrated its ability to mount a coordinated response to exceptional migration pressures by bringing immigration, security, health, social development and humanitarian services closer to the border.
It reiterated its commitment to strengthening border management, enforcing immigration laws and tackling human trafficking and other criminal networks while protecting the constitutional rights and dignity of migrants.
The public was also warned against taking immigration enforcement into its own hands.
"Communities must not undertake unlawful identity checks, intimidation, removals or other acts of vigilantism against any person," the IMC said.
