Dar es Salaam– The Tanzanian government has repatriated 173 Tanzanians who were stranded in KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa. The government organized a special flight in coordination with the Tanzanian Embassy in South Africa and South African authorities.
The individuals arrived on the morning of August 27, 2026, and shared their experiences, with most saying they had lived in South Africa for decades.
“When June 30 came, they arrived there without asking questions; they took everything. I had to rush to the church where I was praying and found my fellow Tanzanians there. On the 30th [of June], no one went outside; death was in the air, everyone was fearful,” one of the Tanzanians explained upon arriving at the airport.
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Through the March and March movement, a South African anti-illegal-immigration vigilante group, June 30, 2026, was set as a deadline for foreigners to return to their countries. Several African countries subsequently took the initiative to repatriate their citizens. After the deadline stings of attack on migrants business intensified, and protests from the group heightened, the group has set another deadline on September 30, 2026.
In May 2026, Tanzania’s High Commission in Pretoria confirmed that 60 of its citizens were being held at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in South Africa. The nationals were detained for allegedly living in the country without valid permits. The Commission maintained there were no report of harm against Tanzanians.
On August 25, 2026, when the South African President was asked about violence against African nationals, including incidents occurring in the presence of the police, President Cyril Ramaphosa responded that law enforcement authorities were following up on reports and evidence relating to violence against African foreign nationals, with those identified as having perpetrated or instigated such acts being pursued.
The African Union is expected to deliberate on the issue in October 2026.
