Protesters demand action on undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers
A contentious debate on the protests against illegal foreign nationals and the broader issues of migration and xenophobia in KwaZulu-Natal’s legislature, highlighted the deep divisions among political parties.
The EFF’s Mongezi Twala said the debate took place against the background of escalating tensions and dangerous xenophobic incidents associated with the activities of the March and March, Operation Dudula and other movements over the past year in KZN.
Twala said they reject the 'dangerous surge of self-appointed immigration officers, vigilante groups, and xenophobic organisations that exploit public frustration to spread violence, extortion, fear, and division among Africans'.
The EFF advocates for a balanced, constitutional, and humane approach to immigration, Twala said.
He outlined four priorities: strengthening border management and documentation processes; lawfully processing undocumented individuals with respect for human dignity and international law; intensifying the fight against exploitative employers who hire undocumented migrants at “slave wages”; and decisive action by law enforcement against vigilante groups conducting unlawful raids, assaults, intimidation, and extortion.
The MK Party’s Nompumelelo Gasa said those leading the protests must be applauded because it is an act of patriotism.
“These protests will not disappear. They will intensify. Every day, the provincial executive remains silent,” Gasa said.
The MK Party demands include: establishing a provincial biometric register for all foreign nationals (documented and undocumented) with daily Home Affairs data sharing; imposing a 12-month moratorium on new spaza shops, car wash, and hair salon licenses for foreign nationals to help South Africans reenter the informal economy; and deploying a dedicated provincial deportation unit with its own budget, clear mandate, and measurable weekly targets.
The IFP’s Mntomuhle Khawula said that all entrants to South Africa must be legal and undocumented and illegal entrants must be deported.
Khawula said that despite appearances of government laxity, there is political will to address issues of illegal employment.
The ANC’s Sizophila Mkhize admitted the party acknowledges weaknesses in border management, migration enforcement and documentation systems.
“We unapologetically reject illegal immigration,” Mkhize said. “But at the same time, the ANC rejects xenophobia. We reject violence. We reject the burning of shops, intimidation of communities, and the dangerous poison of collective punishment.”
The DA’s Mzamo Billy said residents’ 'frustration is justified, but what is not justified is turning that frustration into lawlessness'.
The NFP’s Mbali Shinga said undocumented foreign nationals must be dealt with through lawful enforcement.
“We must remain neighbourly and respectful of other nations, but neighbourliness cannot mean lawlessness. Regional solidarity cannot mean South African communities must carry the burden of failed border management. Diplomacy must go hand-in-hand with enforcement, and human dignity must go hand-in-hand with the rule of law,” Shinga said.
Returning to the podium, Khawula said the IFP is against vigilantism, violence, and lawlessness.
Khawula called on law enforcement to properly secure borders and monitor labour laws.
Twala noted the speakers shared a consensus, that without leadership, the masses will lead themselves.
He said the problem stems from porous borders, lack of security, and the perception that immigrants are taking jobs in townships.
"While these illegal immigrants are the easiest targets, the reality is that there are no jobs in South Africa."