Home Affairs wraps up repatriation support operation at Epping

The office resumed its normal services on Monday after weeks of handling large numbers of people requesting assistance to return home.

Thousands of foreign nationals who sought voluntary return to their home countries have now been processed as South Africa's Department of Home Affairs officially wrapped up its temporary repatriation support operation at the Epping Refugee Reception Office in Cape Town. The office resumed its normal services on Monday after weeks of handling large numbers of people requesting assistance to return home.

More than 3,200 people processed for voluntary return

The temporary operation began after around 1,800 Zimbabwean nationals, including many women and children, arrived at the Epping Refugee Reception Office on 21 June 2026 seeking voluntary repatriation. In the following days, Malawian nationals also joined the process, asking for assistance to return to their country.

By the time the operation concluded, officials had processed a total of 3,252 people. The group included 3,155 Zimbabwean nationals and 97 Malawian nationals, making it one of the largest coordinated voluntary repatriation efforts carried out at the facility in recent months. The department arranged for those requesting repatriation to be transported to the Musina Repatriation Centre in Limpopo over the weekend, where the next stages of the return process will continue.

The movement of thousands of people required careful planning and cooperation between several organisations to ensure families, children and other vulnerable individuals could travel safely while receiving the necessary support during the transition.

Joint effort helped complete the temporary operation

The Department of Home Affairs credited the successful conclusion of the operation to close coordination with the City of Cape Town, civil society organisations and faith-based groups that assisted throughout the process. These partners provided logistical and humanitarian support while helping manage the large number of people gathered at the reception office.

Humanitarian services at the Epping site officially ended at 6 a.m. on Sunday, 5 July 2026, marking the completion of the temporary assistance programme. With the transfers completed, the refugee reception office has now returned to its regular responsibilities, allowing normal public services to resume without the additional pressure created by the repatriation operation.

The department noted that the collaborative response played an important role in ensuring the operation was completed in an orderly manner while addressing the immediate needs of those requesting voluntary return.

Future repatriation requests will follow a different process

Authorities have also introduced new guidance for foreign nationals seeking voluntary repatriation. Individuals who wish to return to their home countries should no longer report to the Epping Refugee Reception Office for assistance.

Instead, the Department of Home Affairs has advised that future requests must be directed to the relevant national consulates, which will coordinate the necessary support and documentation required for voluntary repatriation.

The change is expected to streamline future requests while allowing the Epping office to focus on its core refugee reception services. Officials said the conclusion of the temporary operation reflects the successful completion of an emergency response that brought together government institutions and community organisations to assist thousands of people seeking to return home voluntarily.