Parly flags R300m shortfall at Home Affairs following spike in deportations

Parly flags R300m shortfall at Home Affairs following spike in deportations The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has raised serious concerns over a R341-million financial shortfall facing the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), following intense anti-illegal-immigration protests on June 30 and a subsequent surge in immigration enforcement, deportations and repatriations. With its yearly deportation budget already fully depleted, the department faces severe operational risks if fiscal interventions are not approved, the committee warned. The DHA has officially requested R292-million in "unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure" from the National Treasury to help cover the sudden enforcement. However, a major concern is the lack of an explicit guarantee that the funds will be reimbursed. Committee chairperson Mosa Chabane warned that the situation is untenable. If the Treasury rejects the request, the DHA will be forced to absorb the costs from its existing baseline budget. This will compel the department to reprioritise funds away from its structured annual plans. Ultimately, such budget shifts threaten to delay key operational milestones and directly degrade the quality of public services provided to citizens, Chabane said. In response to the crisis, the DHA has initiated diplomatic engagements with the governments of countries whose nationals were deported, aiming to secure financial reimbursement. While the committee welcomed these discussions, it cautioned that international diplomacy is a lengthy process that cannot replace sustainable, long-term budgeting. The committee highlighted that the situation underscores an urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to secure South Africa's porous borders. Consequently, Parliament has called on the DHA and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to intensify joint engagements with foreign nations. The goal is to establish structured mechanisms where foreign governments contribute directly to the deportation and repatriation costs of their respective citizens. To ensure financial compliance, the committee has directed the DHA's internal audit component to expedite its scrutiny of all procurement and expenditure linked to the recent enforcement operations. This proactive review aims to ensure strict legislative compliance and resolve potential irregularities before the Auditor-General's mandatory audit. The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs and the Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa. Both entities failed to provide timely, complete information regarding their migration management challenges, which hindered Parliament's oversight process. The committee confirmed it will delay its interrogation of these specific migration-related matters until all outstanding data is received, reiterating that effective migration management demands total transparency from all State institutions.