By Kakwe Nikaulire
South African police, working jointly with the Department of Home Affairs, have launched a crackdown on undocumented migrants travelling home for the Christmas holidays, arresting passengers directly from long-distance buses and detaining them in police vans and cells.
Reports from travellers indicate that law enforcement officers are mounting roadblocks on major routes out of Johannesburg, stopping buses heading to neighbouring countries and conducting on-the-spot document checks. Passengers found without valid passports, with expired travel documents, or suspected of overstaying their visas are being removed from buses and arrested—even if they are already en route to their home countries.
Sources say some migrants travelling on emergency or temporary travel permits have also been targeted.
The operation has caused panic and confusion among travellers, many of whom believed that returning home voluntarily would not expose them to arrest.
“What shocks people is that they are already going home, yet they are still being arrested. Many did not expect this,” one traveller said.
According to warnings circulating among migrant communities, South Africa’s Home Affairs Ministry has indicated that those arrested will have their fingerprints taken, a move that could result in lifetime bans from re-entering South Africa.
After being removed from buses, passengers are reportedly transported in police vehicles and detained at holding cells.
So far, nationals from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Malawi are among those most affected by the operation, with several arrests already reported.
The development comes at a time when thousands of migrant workers traditionally travel home for the festive season, raising concerns over the humanitarian impact of the enforcement exercise and the lack of prior public notice.
Authorities in South Africa have not yet issued a detailed public statement on the scope or duration of the operation.
