President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday acknowledged the adverse effects that illegal immigration has on the country, saying it poses a risk to security, stability and economic progress.
“We know that illegal immigration affects service delivery and places additional burdens on essential services such as healthcare and education,” he said in a televised address to the nation.
“Illegal migration routes increasingly overlap with organised crime.”
As communities and as a society, we must not be tempted to join those who want us to turn against people who were not born in South Africa and who are in our midst.
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa added that criminal syndicates involved in trafficking, extortion, illegal mining, drugs and money laundering often use undocumented migrants for recruitment and the concealment of stolen goods.
“We know that illegal immigration undermines our efforts to create decent work for our people,” he said.
While acknowledging the negative effects of illegal immigration, Ramaphosa pleaded with South Africans to let law enforcement deal with the issue.
The president said no civilian has the right to confront foreigners and demand proof of nationality.
“As communities and as a society, we must not be tempted to join those who want us to turn against people who were not born in South Africa and who are in our midst,” said Ramaphosa.
“We will not and must not allow groups to use the legitimate concerns of South Africans to destabilise our country through inciting lawlessness and violence.”
Ramaphosa said the government will act against forces that are exploiting the concerns of South Africans about illegal immigration to further their own political, personal or criminal agendas.
The comments by the president come after several protests by organisations such as March and March, who have been seen confronting alleged undocumented foreigners and asking them to leave the country before June 30.
Ramaphosa also warned businesspeople who are hiring and exploiting illegal immigrants, accusing them of undermining opportunities for South Africans.
“Employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers and exploit their vulnerability are breaking the law. They undermine labour standards. They undermine fair competition.
“Such conduct will attract far stronger penalties and far stricter enforcement,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the concerns of South Africans who feel that undocumented immigrants are taking their opportunities, such as local economy participation in the form of spaza shops, should not be ignored.
“As a country, as communities and as a continent, we need to work together — in accordance with our constitution, our laws and our international obligations — to tackle illegal immigration.”
Ramaphosa said the government will set up dedicated courts to deal with illegal immigration to speedily support the deportation of undocumented migrants.
He also said the government will progressively discontinue the green ID books “which have enabled identity theft by undocumented immigrants and criminal syndicates”.
“The department of home affairs will set a date after which the green ID books will not be recognised.”
Ramaphosa said the government rejects the notion that South Africa must tolerate illegal immigration.
“We can protect our borders while protecting human dignity. We can enforce our laws while upholding our constitution.”
“We can secure our communities while preserving the values of ubuntu that define us as a people,” he said.
Ramaphosa added that the government will focus on the following in order to deal with illegal migration:
- Crack down on the violation of the country’s immigration, labour and other laws.
- Prevent people from entering South Africa irregularly and illegally.
- Continue to stamp out corruption in the immigration system.
- Strengthen immigration laws and policies.
- Engage other countries in Africa to forge a broader response to migration challenges across the region and the continent.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.