South Africa Launches Immigration Crackdown Consultations, Plans to Phase Out Green ID Book

South Africa’s IMC on Migration will begin consultations to explain its crackdown on illegal immigration and warned citizens against conducting their own identity checks, saying only the state can enforce immigration laws. Officials also confirmed ongoing deportations and cooperation with countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Malawi. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber also announced plans to phase out the green ID book and replace it with a more secure smart ID system.

South Africa’s Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration has announced that it will begin a broad nationwide consultation process starting Monday, engaging civic organisations, Chapter Nine institutions, labour groups, community leaders, and other stakeholders to outline and explain government’s approach to tackling illegal immigration and strengthening migration enforcement.

The announcement was made during a media briefing held in Pretoria on Sunday, where senior government ministers provided updates on ongoing immigration operations and policy reforms aimed at improving border control and ensuring compliance with national laws.

The IMC, which coordinates government’s migration and immigration enforcement strategy across departments, is chaired by the Minister of Justice, . She reiterated that the enforcement of immigration laws remains strictly the responsibility of the state and warned against growing instances of citizens attempting to take immigration enforcement into their own hands.

Kubayi said government has observed with concern that some members of the public have begun carrying out identity checks, questioning individuals, and attempting to enforce immigration rules without any legal authority. She described such actions as unlawful and potentially dangerous to public order and constitutional governance.

“As government, we have the sole responsibility of enforcing the law. We have observed, with concern, that some citizens are insisting on conducting identity checks and other immigration enforcement actions. This is illegal and should not be encouraged in our country. Only the state has the responsibility to enforce immigration laws, and no one else,” she said.

She stressed that South Africa’s constitutional framework assigns law enforcement powers exclusively to designated state institutions such as the South African Police Service and the Department of Home Affairs. Any form of citizen-led enforcement, she said, undermines the rule of law and could lead to discrimination, abuse, or violence.

Kubayi urged citizens to refrain from vigilantism and instead report any suspected illegal activity to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, where proper investigation procedures can be followed in line with the law.

Officials further used the briefing to address public concerns regarding the scope and targeting of immigration enforcement operations. Government rejected allegations that enforcement efforts are directed at African migrants specifically or any single nationality.

Deputy Minister Boshielo said enforcement operations have been conducted across a wide range of nationalities and sectors, emphasizing that immigration law is being applied uniformly. She cited multiple recent enforcement actions to demonstrate this approach.

According to her, authorities recently detained and processed 75 Libyan nationals found at a farm in White River, Mpumalanga. She also referenced the arrest and repatriation of 70 Ethiopian nationals in Johannesburg following immigration checks. In addition, operations conducted in Newcastle involved enforcement actions at a business linked to a Taiwanese company, where several foreign nationals, including Mexican citizens, were also arrested.

She said these examples demonstrate that the government’s migration enforcement strategy is broad-based and not directed at any particular race or nationality, but rather focused on compliance with South African immigration laws across all sectors.

The government maintains that these operations form part of a wider effort to address irregular migration, strengthen border security, and reduce exploitation of undocumented labour in various industries.

Kubayi also confirmed ongoing diplomatic engagement with several African countries, including , , and , aimed at facilitating the safe, orderly, and voluntary repatriation of their nationals.

She disclosed that deportation operations have already resulted in the removal of hundreds of undocumented migrants in recent months. In one major operation, 980 Malawian nationals were deported from the Lindela Repatriation Centre on 10 June, marking one of the largest single repatriation exercises in the current enforcement drive.

Officials said these deportations were carried out in line with legal procedures and international agreements governing the return of foreign nationals. They also emphasized that affected individuals are processed through formal channels before removal from the country.

Kubayi added that government is exploring institutional reforms to improve the speed and efficiency of immigration case handling. One major proposal under consideration is the re-establishment of a dedicated court facility at the Lindela Repatriation Centre to deal specifically with immigration matters.

According to her, discussions between the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the Gauteng Judge President have already begun. The aim is to reduce delays in processing cases and ensure that deportation procedures are handled more efficiently while still respecting constitutional rights.

The IMC said these reforms are intended to strengthen governance within the immigration system, reduce administrative bottlenecks, and improve coordination between enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs announced a long-term plan to phase out South Africa’s green barcoded identity book, describing it as increasingly vulnerable to fraud, duplication, and identity theft.

The green identity book, which has been in use for decades, remains one of the most widely issued identification documents in the country. It contains personal information such as name, photograph, identity number, and citizenship status, and is still used by millions of South Africans for official transactions.

Schreiber warned that criminal syndicates and undocumented migrants can exploit weaknesses in the system by obtaining or manipulating green identity books to assume false identities or access services fraudulently.

He said the continued use of approximately 16 million green ID books poses a significant security challenge for the state and undermines efforts to modernize national identity systems.

“So, it really is an imperative because we understand that syndicates, as well as illegal immigrants in many cases, can claim to be South African citizens if they get hold of your green ID book and manipulate it. So, that is why this is such a critical intervention. There are about 16 million of them still in use and our job is to replace those with a more secure smart ID in the first instance,” he said.

The transition to the smart identity system, officials explained, is part of a broader modernization agenda within the Department of Home Affairs aimed at reducing fraud, improving verification processes, and strengthening national security infrastructure.

Government says the combined reforms—including stricter immigration enforcement, enhanced cooperation with foreign governments, and upgraded identity systems—form part of a coordinated national strategy to improve migration management, protect public resources, and ensure that South Africa’s immigration framework remains lawful, efficient, and secure.