POLL | What do you think about R52m spent on deporting illegal immigrants in five months?

More than R50m spent by the government to deport illegal immigrants over five months has sparked debate among South Africans 

In a recent Q&A session in parliament, home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said 19,750 undocumented immigrants were sent back to their countries of origin, costing government R52,817,656 between April and August. 

EFF MP Thapelo Mogale raised concerns about the amount, suggesting the funds could have been better used to strengthen border management and prevent unauthorised entry by foreigners. 

“The department is spending excessive amounts on deporting illegal immigrants in a few months. If we were to look at it over five years, I'm convinced we would've spent a billion or more,” Mogale told TimesLIVE. 

“That is money that could be used for other things. We have a Border Management Authority which is grossly underfunded. If the BMA is underfunded, you'll experience an influx of undocumented people coming into the country.” 

Social media user Siphiwo Pahlane said: “This money could be spent on deployment of permanent border patrol by the security forces of this country. There's nothing wrong with deporting illegal people, but they will keep coming back as long as there's no border policing.” 

TimesLIVE