Photo for illustration. (Photo: iStock)
A group of 42 South Africans, among whom are 18 women and 15 children, landed in Johannesburg on Friday after being deported by the Irish government.
According to the Irish department, the children were deported with their families.
Members of An Garda Síochána, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer were also on this flight.
The government spent around €735,000 on the group’s deportation.
This is the fourth deportation flight this year, with 130 people, including 67 European citizens, removed from the state. Further charter flights are planned. A total of 205 people were deported on six flights last year.
Jim O’Callaghan, Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, says deportation orders are an essential requirement for the Irish immigration system to work effectively and to ensure that there is public confidence in the application of the country’s legislation in this area.
According to him, the vast majority of South Africans are legally in Ireland and contribute positively to the community.
Last year, 4,700 deportation orders were signed, an increase of 96% compared to 2024, with 2,108 signed so far this year.
In May, the department said that more than 30 Polish nationals had been deported from Ireland because of crime.
A total of 34 men – 22 from Poland and 12 from Lithuania – ranging in age from their mid-20s to mid-60s, were removed from the state in accordance with the free movement directive.
All those removed had a criminal record in Ireland and had been jailed for a range of offences.
A total of 25 people served prison terms and nine others were arrested and detained before their deportation. A re-entry ban of up to 10 years is applied to prevent them from returning to Ireland.