Pretoria is intensifying efforts to repatriate people residing in the country illegally, Cyril Ramaphosa has said
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that employers who hire undocumented foreign nationals will face imprisonment or fines under the country’s Immigration Act.
He said illegal immigration continues to strain South Africa’s public resources and national security, and that the government is intensifying efforts to repatriate those in the country unlawfully while promoting legal and skills-based migration.
Answering oral questions in the National Assembly on Thursday, Ramaphosa emphasised that one of the most important interventions to tackle illegal immigration is securing South Africa’s borders.
He responded to a question from IFP Chief Whip Nhlanhla Hadebe, who asked what policy interventions the government plans to address the estimated 15% of undocumented foreign nationals in the country and how law enforcement and Home Affairs would be coordinated to enforce immigration laws.
Ramaphosa said the government is strengthening border control and law enforcement to deal with the issue of undocumented foreign nationals
He said the newly established Border Management Authority (BMA) has deployed 600 border guards at vulnerable points to prevent undocumented and inadmissible migrants from entering the country.
“The BMA has demonstrated the effectiveness of modern technology, like the utilisation of drones,” he said.
He added that border guards are also equipped with body cameras to create a more secure and transparent border environment.
”Dr Michael Masiapato, the leader of the BMA, was telling me that even as we will be having a flood of visitors to G20, those who receive our visitors will be having body cameras,” Ramaphosa said.
He said phase one of the electronic travel authorisation system is being rolled out, with more than 200 G20-related applications already processed.
The system uses machine learning to verify documents and facial recognition to secure immigration processes.
”Following the stabilisation phase around the G20, electronic travel authorisation will be open for tourist visas and other visa categories. This will ultimately lead to the automation of entry and exit processes at our borders,” he said.
Ramaphosa said government is also acting within the country to “detect, apprehend and deport illegal migrants,” through intelligence-driven joint operations coordinated by the Department of Home Affairs, the Inland Inspectorate and other structures.
In the past financial year, he said, “over 51,000 illegal immigrants were deported.”
He said South Africans are “justifiably concerned” about undocumented migrants, particularly given the pressure they place on social services.
However, he cautioned against vigilantism, saying, “We should not allow vigilante acts targeting foreign nationals as these do not solve the problem and undermine the rule of law.”
Ramaphosa emphasised that employers who hire undocumented migrants are breaking the law. ”The Immigration Act prohibits anyone from employing illegal foreigners who are not documented,” he said.
”Employers who continue to employ people who are not documented are committing an offence. They can be fined and they can be put in prison.”
He said this was not xenophobic but a matter of enforcing the law fairly.
”We welcome and we’ve always welcomed workers from other countries who are certificated and documented,” Ramaphosa said.
”As South Africans go to other countries, they can’t just walk in and say they want a job without being documented.”
He said the Department of Labour had presented an Employment Services Amendment Bill to introduce quotas on the employment of foreign nationals, while joint inspections with Home Affairs are continuing.
”We want employers to make sure that they do not employ undocumented people,” Ramaphosa said.
”They must make sure that they stick by the terms of our law. This is what will ensure that we create more employment for our people.”
Ramaphosa said South Africa remains open to documented and skilled migrants. ”We do welcome people who are documented. They can always come and work in our country because we need their skills, their know-how, and the investment that they bring into our country,” he said.
