Wendy Dondolo | Published 15 minutes ago
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration has raised serious concerns over detention backlogs, deportation delays and system coordination failures following an unannounced inspection at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp on Friday.
The oversight visit was led by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi, alongside the Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, as part of the committee’s ongoing monitoring of immigration enforcement facilities.
Kubayi said the visit was intended to test government reports against operational realities at the facility, which processes undocumented foreign nationals awaiting deportation.
“As the IMC, we meet every Friday visiting the facility was to check in terms of capacity, its status, in terms of being able to cope with the capacity,” she said.
She added that Lindela is meant to function as a short-term holding centre, but in practice is holding detainees for far longer than intended.
“This facility is not supposed to keep people for a long time. It’s a place where you pass through. Ordinarily we would want to see not more than 48 hours stay here,” Kubayi said.
Coordination failures and embassy delays flagged
Kubayi highlighted operational breakdowns between departments, particularly between Correctional Services and Home Affairs, as well as delays in foreign embassy responses that are slowing deportations.
“We require their embassies, their countries to confirm. We did receive again the report that some of the countries are not responding,” she said, citing cases involving Ethiopian and Nigerian nationals.
She also noted that government is engaging the Department of International Relations to improve cooperation with foreign missions to speed up deportation processes.
Acting Police Minister warns against vigilantism
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia used the visit to reiterate government’s warning against members of the public taking immigration enforcement into their own hands amid rising tensions over undocumented migration.
“The responsibility to enforce our immigration laws is a responsibility of the state. No one has the legal right to take the law into their own hands to arrest or intimidate undocumented foreign nationals,” he said.
Cachalia confirmed that arrests have already been made in connection with protest actions linked to immigration enforcement.
“There has been arrests… those that we have identified, yes,” he said, adding that law enforcement agencies have been instructed to act against unlawful conduct.
He stressed that immigration enforcement must remain within legal frameworks.
“There should be no ambiguity about it. No confusion about it,” he said.
Detainee raises concerns over detention length and conditions
During the inspection, attention was also drawn to testimony from detainees describing prolonged stays, poor conditions and uncertainty about legal processes.
One Congolese national, Curtis Dubai, said he had been detained despite holding documentation that he claims was valid at the time of his arrest.
“I was arrested because of the paper. But I have my legal passport. So, my passport just expired few days ago,” he said.
Dubai, who says he has lived in South Africa since 2018 and is married to a South African citizen, questioned the length of detention and lack of clarity on deportation timelines.
“We’re just waiting for our deportation… apparently after 120 days they can release you. But why so long? Four months for what reason?” he said.
He also described conditions inside the facility in stark terms.
“Truly speaking, we are living in hell. There is no proper food, there’s no clean toilets, everything is like hell,” he said.
System under pressure
Kubayi said Lindela remains the country’s only dedicated repatriation centre and processes high volumes of detainees, placing pressure on infrastructure and coordination systems.
She said the IMC will continue reviewing operational gaps, including capacity constraints and delays linked to international verification processes.
“We are not driven by those who are marching. We are showcasing what government has been doing all along,” she said.
The IMC is expected to table further recommendations following its weekly meeting in Pretoria, as government seeks to streamline deportation timelines and reduce extended detention periods.
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