WITH the bogey of apartheid a thing of the past, South Africa is becoming a magnet for illegal immigrants from other African countries. By far the largest number of illegals continue to come from the Southern African region, show Home Affairs Department statistics. No less than 80 926 Mozambicans were repatriated from South Africa last year. More than 10 000 were repatriated to Zimbabwe and more than 3 000 to Lesotho.
However, the figures also show that a small but growing number of Africans from north of the equator are settling illegally here. Last year for the first time, six illegal immigrants were repatriated to Uganda, while 22 were sent back to Nigeria. Other African nationals appearing in the repatriation statistics for the first time include Congo (two), Egypt (two), Mali (one), Cameroon (one), Burundi (one), Gambia (one), Ethiopia (one), Senegal (one) and Guinea (one).
The Home Affairs figures also indicate a growing influx of illegals from countries which discovered South Africa some years ago. From 1991 to 1993, the number of Ghanaians repatriated grew from one to 33, while over the past six years Tanzanian repatriations have increased from seven to 52.
Given the ease with which “tourists” to South Africa can disappear into the woodwork, it is fair to assume that there are many more African illegals still in the country.