International News
South Africa Says Over 53,000 Deported In Migration Campaign
The South African government says more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since launching a “migration management” campaign five weeks ago.
Most were from Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, officials say, and the number is likely to rise as repatriations and deportations continue.
South Africa is carrying out one of its biggest crackdowns on undocumented migrants in years, following weeks of anti-immigration protests that have seen violence, intimidation and looting.
Protesters have been demanding tighter border controls and mass deportations, accusing migrants of contributing to high unemployment, rising crime rates and collapse of public services.
The UN has warned against using migrants as scapegoats for South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges.
Anti-migrant activists have threatened to stage weekly protests to pressure the government until their demands are met, and there are fears the protests could turn violent.
The demonstrators had set an “unofficial deadline” of 30 June for all undocumented migrants to leave the country, which has seen many foreigners leave to escape violence and intimidation.
Several countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya, have flown their citizens home in recent weeks.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced on Sunday that 53,499 foreign nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation, “which is dominated by the Malawians, followed by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans”.
“We are striving to achieve an orderly and regular migration which is mindful and sensitive to the concerns raised by our people, while observing human rights and dignity of all people in our country, irrespective of their citizenship and immigration status,” Kubayi told a news conference in Pretoria.
She said the repatriation and deportation process has helped them catch people who were wanted by the police for alleged criminal activity.
Authorities will continue to enforce its immigration laws, she added, but warned that protesters should not conduct unauthorised searches of homes and businesses that are suspected of sheltering undocumented migrants.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged public concerns about immigration but has condemned attacks against migrants, warning citizens against taking the law into their own hands.
South Africa is the continent’s wealthiest nation and has long attracted migrants searching for better economic opportunities, some of whom enter the country illegally.
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South African police have arrested five suspects after rescuing a 25-year-old e-hailing driver who was allegedly kidnapped, raped and held for ransom in Cape Town.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement on Sunday that Steenberg police rescued the driver after he was allegedly raped by two female suspects and held at ransom by the group.
Police were alerted by the victim’s brother after the suspects contacted him and demanded R4,000 in cash for the driver’s release.
According to SAPS, the police used the victim’s vehicle tracker to locate him at Southampton Road in Heathfield, where he was rescued.
“Steenberg police rescued a 25-year-old e-hailing driver after he was raped and held at ransom by two female suspects and three males yesterday,” the police said.
The victim had reportedly met one of the female suspects the previous week through his e-hailing business.
According to police, the two exchanged telephone numbers and communicated throughout the week before arranging to meet.
“When he went to meet her, he was kidnapped by the suspects and the females raped him,” SAPS said.
Police subsequently arrested the two female suspects, aged 23 and 34, as well as three male suspects aged 16, 42 and 48.
The five suspects are expected to appear before the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 14, 2026.
SAPS said they would face charges relating to the alleged kidnapping and rape.
A 31-year-old woman in the United Kingdom will spend more time in prison after falsely accusing 10 men of rape, following intervention by Attorney General Ellie Reeves.
Bolton, had her sentence increased by two years and six months after Reeves referred her case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Sharples contacted men on Facebook and dating apps between 2013 and 2020, arranged to meet them in person, and then made false claims of rape against them to the police.
The court heard how the convict repeated and sustained the accusations, which led to eight separate police investigations involving ten innocent victims.
The government said the majority of those wrongfully accused were arrested and held in custody, resulting in months of investigations and over 550 hours of police time.
The victims described the impact that false allegations had on their daily lives, including loss of relationships, employment, and lasting damage to their mental health.
“Anyone who seeks to exploit or undermine genuine acts of violence against women and girls must be held to account,” said Attorney General Reeves.
The top justice official advised genuine victims to come forward, saying every report of rape is rightly taken seriously and treated with the care it deserves.
On March 11, March, Sharples was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment for 10 counts of obstruction of justice. The Court of Appeal increased it to 7 years on September 9.
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lost her husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, who died on Monday while receiving treatment for a heart condition at a hospital in Zanzibar.
Ameir died at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital, according to Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi, who announced his death.
Ndejembi said funeral arrangements were already being made in Kizimkazi, a village on Tanzania’s semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.
The vice-president also expressed condolences to President Hassan, Ameir’s family and friends following his death.
Kenyan President William Ruto joined those mourning Ameir, saying he received news of his death with “deep sorrow”.
“President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” he wrote on social media.
Ameir, an agricultural academic, largely stayed away from the public spotlight despite being married to Tanzania’s president. He became the country’s first First Gentleman after Hassan assumed office in 2021.
His appearances alongside President Hassan were uncommon, although he occasionally accompanied her at official engagements.
Ameir and Hassan married in 1978, before she began her political career, and had four children together — three sons and a daughter.
Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, has also followed a political career and currently serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly.
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