Tanzania has finalised a comprehensive voluntary repatriation programme to bring back its citizens currently living in South Africa. The initiative follows directives from President Samia Suluhu Hassan to enable individuals to return home and reunite with their families after having lived in South Africa for a long time. Executing this large-scale repatriation exercise requires close co-operation between the Tanzanian High Commission and South African authorities.
Durban Repatriation Plan and Verification
According to a notice issued by the Tanzanian High Commission in Pretoria, the programme will be executed in phases across different provinces. The primary objective is to ensure that all returning citizens complete the necessary legal and logistical procedures to arrive safely in Tanzania, where they can continue participating in various social and economic activities, as well as nation-building.
The first phase of the repatriation will focus on 241 Tanzanians currently residing in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province. This group is scheduled to return to Tanzania on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, aboard an Air Tanzania Company Limited aircraft departing from King Shaka International Airport in Durban.
Tanzania to start repatriating its citizens from South Africa
Before embarking on the journey, the returnees will undergo a verification process on Tuesday, August 26, and Wednesday, August 26.
> This processing will take place at the City View Mall, located at 10 Mathews Meyiwa Road in Greyville, Durban, with the centre opening from six o'clock in the morning,
reads the statement.
Travel Documents and Phased Schedule
The High Commission has laid out specific guidelines for Durban applicants, noting that the exercise will cover individuals without passports, those whose passports have expired or been lost, and children born in South Africa to Tanzanian parents. To facilitate their return, those completing the process without passports will be issued Emergency Travel Documents. Furthermore, the High Commission has urged registered Tanzanians to remain patient as arrangements are completed, specifically requesting those holding Asylum Seeker Certificates to remain at the designated processing centre until their Voluntary Repatriation Permits are processed.
Following the departure of the first group from Durban, the second phase of the programme will focus on approximately 300 Tanzanians residing in Cape Town, who are expected to return during the first week of September. High Commissioner Mr James Bwana said early this week that the official date for this second journey will be announced by the Embassy as soon as preparations are finalised.
Simulizi ya Mkenya baada ya kufukuzwa kutoka nchini Afrika
> The remaining citizens, who will complete the overall total of 669 repatriated Tanzanians, will form the final group departing from Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, on a date to be announced in due course,
said Mr Bwana when outlining the plan.
Official Statements and Regional Tensions
This national assistance program was mobilised after the citizens themselves formally requested government support to return to their homeland. Reflecting on the President’s commitment, Mr Bwana emphasised that the government received the request with the intention of enabling its citizens to return to their country.
> The Honourable President has welcomed them back home and has directed me, as her Ambassador here in South Africa, to ensure that Tanzanians who are ready to return voluntarily are enabled to do so,
said Mr Bwana.
Nigeria kurudisha kwa hiari raia wake kutoka Afrika Kusini
He added that the government had arranged all transport logistics to make the transition as smooth as possible for the returning citizens.
> We welcome them home to reunite with their relatives, families, and friends, and to continue with nation-building activities,
he said.
Wider regional departures have also unfolded following protests since the beginning of the year. June 30 was marked as the final day given by South African citizens for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. Demonstrations at times turned violent, during which individuals with and without permits were degraded and even beaten while pressured to leave the nation. These events caused thousands of foreign nationals to leave voluntarily while others were assisted by their home countries, placing South Africa under immense pressure to protect foreign nationals from rights abuses.
Other nations have taken similar actions. The government of Ghana announced that it will return 300 of its citizens living in South Africa following an increase in attacks against foreigners. Ghanaian Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated via his social media page on X that President John Dramani Mahama approved the measure after nationals requested to return home following reports of assaults and raided businesses.
In a social media post, Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated that the number of affected individuals is expected to rise and that the lives and businesses of Nigerians in South Africa should not continue to be placed at risk. Odumegwu-Ojukwu added that last month, two Nigerian citizens—Amamiro Chidiebere Emmanuel and Nnaemeka Matthew Andrew—were killed in two separate incidents involving security personnel in South Africa. Meanwhile, Ronald Lamola stated that he and Odumegwu-Ojukwu agreed during discussions to strengthen co-operation. Through a statement, Lamola noted that they reflected on the challenges posed by illegal immigration and committed to addressing its root causes while finding a shared, sustainable solution.
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