The Department of Home Affairs has concluded its preparation to deport the 95 Libyans who were arrested at an illegal military camp in White River, Mpumalanga, last month.
They are scheduled to leave South Africa from the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport on Sunday on a flight that has been paid for by the Libyan Government.
Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, welcomed the swift conclusion of the deportation.
“I commend the Home Affairs officials and other law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly to ensure an expeditious deportation, We will continue to deploy all resources at our disposal to ensure that the country’s immigration laws are respected and observed,” said Minister Schreiber.
On Thursday the Department of Home Affairs welcomed the court decision that the 95 Libyans can be deported.
Minister Schreiber had then instructed the Department to proceed with speed while observing all the legal processes to ensure that the deportations were conducted swiftly.
Consequently, Home Affairs officials were in court to secure the confirmations for deportation from the Magistrate.
This paved the way for their deportation. At the time they are also finalising logistics for the deportation.
As indicated at the time, deportation was among the options Home Affairs considered working with other law enforcement authorities.
The men were charged with contravening the South African Immigration Act after provincial police raided a farm near White River last month, uncovering what appeared to be a secret military base for training the Libyans.
The raid has raised more questions than answers, with authorities seeking to uncover the true intentions of the Libyans and the purpose of their training.
The men were found to be involved in military-style training, sparking concerns about national security.
The incident has also highlighted regulatory failures, with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority admitting that it only learnt of the illegal training on July 8 despite authorities having had intelligence about the Libyans’ arrival in April.
IOL