• Several parties represented in Parliament blamed undocumented migrants for crime and draining social services during the debate on the Department of Home Affairs` budget.
• Claims undocumented migrants are disproportionately responsible for crime or are depleting South African taxes without contributing, have previously been debunked.
• New Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said he wanted to bring dignity back to the department`s work.
While new Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber`s focus was on improving the department to provide dignity to South Africans, xenophobia reared its head as MPs debated the Department of Home Affairs budget vote on Monday.
The debate descended into scapegoating foreign nationals for crime and depleting resources, akin to a Trump or Le Pen rally.
`At its heart, home affairs is about dignity. The dignity of having an identity and a nationality. The dignity of belonging somewhere in this great big world. The dignity of being able to travel beyond our borders,` said Schreiber to a mini-plenary of the National Assembly.
`The dignity of giving your child their name on a birth certificate. The dignity of being able to have a bank account and to access an old age pension.
`As your newly-appointed minister of home affairs, I not only recognise and acknowledge that dignity is at the heart of this department.
`I will also make it my mission to restore dignity to interactions with home affairs, both for the many dedicated officials who have found their calling by serving the people of South Africa through this vital department, and to our clients.`
He added there was nothing that brought dignity like a job, and that was why they were positioning home affairs as `an engine of economic growth`.
`The apex priority of the government of national unity, as captured in our shared statement of intent, is to generate rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth to create jobs. Home Affairs has a critical role to play in achieving this vision, by accelerating the reforms introduced by the president through Operation Vulindlela.
`Alongside steps that have already been taken, such as the streamlining of required documents and the introduction of the Trusted Employer Scheme, we will do much more.
`This includes finalisation of the points-based system for work visas, rolling out the remote working and start-up visas, updating the critical skills list more regularly, and making it easier for more tourists to visit our beautiful country and spend their valuable foreign currency right here in South Africa,` said Schreiber.
He added the Border Management Authority (BMA), like the department, was underfunded.
He said:
If we want to properly manage our borders, we will have to invest more resources in doing so.
Several other speakers, including ANC MP and Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs chairperson Mosa Chabane, and the DA`s Adrian Roos, also lamented the BMA`s funding.
Chabane said it was the committee`s responsibility to advocate for the BMA`s funding.
There was also general agreement South Africa`s borders should be secured.
However, several MPs claimed undocumented migrants were responsible for crime and South Africans` unemployment and draining social services.
None of these MPs substantiated their claims with factual evidence.
Last year, AfricaCheck debunked claims undocumented immigrants contributed disproportionately to South Africa`s crime levels, or drained South African taxes without contributing in turn.
It also found `compelling long-term data to show that immigrants in fact create employment for locals and help grow the economy`.
In the run-up to the elections, Human Rights Watch warned South African politicians risked inflaming xenophobic violence by scapegoating and demonising foreign nationals.
On Monday morning, MK Party MP Mariam Muhammad greeted the mini-plenary in the name of Allah and `the father of our nation, the rightful president of our nation, ubaba Jacob Zuma`.
The corruption-accused Zuma has already served two terms as president and, therefore, cannot serve another. Furthermore, he is ineligible to serve as an MP, from which the president is elected, on account of being a convicted criminal.
Muhammad claimed there are `rampant abuses in our refugee and asylum system`.
`South Africa`s current legislative framework compromising the Citizenship Act, Immigration Act and Refugee Act is fragmented and outdated,` she said.
Muhammad claimed a `disproportionately large number of refugees seeking refugee here` were `overwhelming our capacity as a developing country`.
`South Africa has garnered a reputation for its generosity to immigrants, asylees and refugees.
`However, this generosity has come at a significant cost. Our asylum system is being exploited by individuals, finding fraudulent claims to gain entry into South Africa.
`The courts frequently issue rulings that protect illegal immigrants while foreign-funded NGOs politicise immigration reform and challenge our legislation.`
She said the MK Party advocated for the `mandatory detention of immigrants seeking asylum until their claims are verified` and added `parole from detention should only be granted in exception circumstances`.
EFF MP Yazini Tetyana referred to Schreiber`s decision on his first day in office to extend the temporary concession for foreign nationals who are currently awaiting the outcome of visa, waiver and appeal applications.
`On his first day in office, he resolved romantic affairs instead of long problematic issues,` he said.
`We have a serious problem, particularly here in Cape Town, of European immigrants who have entered the country on visitors visas and then overstay their visas, just like those who arrived in 1652 and never left.
`They are contributing towards the high cost of living, driving up rental accommodation prices, as they are seen to be more preferred than locals, because they pay in dollars and euros,` Tetyana added.
IFP MP Liezl van der Merwe said her party believed the previous administration`s failure to effectively manage migration led to a `national crisis posing a national security threat to our nation but also placing a heavy strain on our state`s resources` and it led to communities in northern KwaZulu-Natal being `constantly and daily under siege`.
`South Africans are tired of the lawlessness that prevails in our country.`
She added in a country where unemployment was at crisis levels, it was unforgivable businesses were `allowed` to employ undocumented migrants in sectors such as hospitality, construction and transport.
Van der Merwe, too, claimed far too many economic migrants were using the asylum seeker process.
She said the government should ban businesses employing undocumented migrants, as fines did not work.
She added:
We should reserve the spaza shop sector for South Africans.
ActionSA MP Lerato Ngobeni said she hoped Schreiber took `the widespread mismanagement and corruption that have plagued the Department of Home Affairs seriously`.
`These have allowed criminal elements to exploit the legal visa regime, contributing to the problem of illicit drugs and goods in our country.
`Whether we are called sellouts or xenophobes, we stand firm in our commitment to upholding the rule of law, protecting our porous borders and safeguarding the wellbeing of our citizens.
`South Africans must not be intimidated into backing down on this issue. All those who call us xenophobic are bullies who are unpatriotic and want to impose hypocritical standards on us.
`Our country is facing massive socioeconomic troubles and cannot be expected to take on the challenges of other countries at mass scale,` Ngobeni said.
`Increased criminality and decreased wages, the impact is felt by the most vulnerable among us, including genuine asylum seekers.
`Unchecked migration poses a severe threat to our national security and sovereignty. Being tough in our stance on this does not mean we do not recognise the human side to this issue.`
Like Van der Merwe, and ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula, Ngobeni said spaza shops must be reserved for South Africans.
Zungula added `securing the borders, reduction of unemployment and putting South Africa first` was in the country`s best interests, saying extending the visa concessions was not in the interest of South Africa.
`People can`t be permanently employed on workers` visas.
`The rise of the influx of what is termed digital nomads, meaning foreigners from Europe and America, has led to gentrification and pushing out citizens,` said Zungula.
`The crisis of illegal immigration is a national security risk.`
FF Plus MP Philip van Staden added South Africa`s borders must be protected.
`Immigration is a natural process and every country tries to manage it in such a way that it is beneficial,` he said.
`These illegal immigrants put immense pressure on the water resources, health care, job
Responding to the comments on refugees and asylum seekers, Schreiber said: `There`s also a global responsibility to this. And migration is an international phenomenon, and it has international consequences if South Africa loses control over our migration management.
`In the interest of the global community to help us get the capacity we need to process that massive backlog that one report estimated would take something like 60 years to process.`
He added he found some of Tetyana`s remarks confusing, as his party leader, Julius Malema, told the radio station 702 in 2019, `that thing of borders, we will not have them`.
`Now, I must say chair, I don`t agree with the EFF whatsoever, we must have borders. We must secure them. And if there is hypocrisy, we`ll find it on that side of the House,` said Schreiber.
The PA, which campaigned on a xenophobic platform in the run-up to the elections, calling for the mass deportation of immigrants and job reservation for South Africans, did not participate in the debate.
Tetyana also complained of the `pernicious role of white billionaires in Stellenbosch who are on a clear mission to capture our political system and subverting our democracy by pumping millions of rand to fund certain political parties and establishment of new ones`.
`This is reflected in the report published by My Vote Counts, which revealed the Stellenbosch mafia spent over R300 million in the past election, and the DA received most of the funding,` he said.
He added in 2017, the ANC `installed a Manchurian candidate who was raised and groomed by white businesses`.
Schreiber agreed they should look into party funding.
Amid howling from the EFF benches, he said: `The question we need to ask is where is the EFF`s declaration of the VBS money. Where are the declarations?`

 Identity fraud is on the increase in South Africa, with the latest fraud statistics recording a 400% surge in impersonation fraud from April 2023 to April 2024. Fraud statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) have also revealed that impersonation fraud increased by a staggering 356% from April 2022 to April 2023. The issue of identity fraud has come to the fore following the investigation into the citizenship of former Miss SA contestant Chidimma Adetshina. Home Affairs found prima facie reasons to believe that fraud and identity theft may have been committed by the person recorded in Home Affairs records as Adetshina’s mother. Home Affairs also noted that the alleged crime was done when Adetshina was still an infant and the innocent mother whose identity was stolen could not register her child. Manie van Schalkwyk, executive director of the SAFPS, said there were many means that criminals used to steal identities. “The simplest method, of course, is theft of the physical identity document, but more sophisticated modus operandi involve the use of social engineering techniques encouraging individuals to divulge their personal information, or cybercrime-related incidents where the individual’s devices may be compromised using sophisticated malware or spyware.” Van Schalkwyk said that 40% of incidents target the 25-45 age group, with the highest growth in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. “SAFPS is tasked with the responsibility of informing the public about fraud and creating awareness about the modus operandi related to the fraud while supporting consumers in implementing active preventive measures. “To achieve this, we recommend that consumers who have lost their identity documents, had their documents stolen, or who believe their personal information or identity may be compromised, register for a Protective Registration, at no cost to the consumer, to prevent themselves from falling victim to identity theft or suffer the pain of recurrence if they have already,” said Van Schalkwyk. Legal analyst Mpumelelo Zikalala described identity fraud where immigrants steal the identity of a country’s citizen as the harshest form of fraud. “I think that is the worst one because inherently you have killed that person because they are not known to exist. If they cannot get a birth certificate, it means they cannot even go to school, they cannot get social grants, or even open a bank account.” He said Home Affairs employees have a huge role to play. “This type of fraud needs to be closely looked at because the person who allows it is an employee of Home Affairs, because someone who is not employed there does not know how the system works,” said Zikalala. He added that Home Affairs employees should regularly audit approved applications to identify fraudulent identities, adding that they should visit individuals at their homes to verify their identities. “Then those who are found to have committed identity theft must be arrested and prosecuted to show how serious this issue is. I would have expected that in the issue of Adetshina’s mother, by now some people would have been arrested. It does not take rocket science to do that, just to go back and check when the application was approved and who approved it, because it is there on the records,” he said. Zikalala said that there were many ways identity fraud could be perpetrated, and it impacts the lives of victims severely. “Once your identity has been stolen, there are a number of things you can no longer engage in. For example, you cannot get access to credit, you cannot get employment, your name may be ruined and the worst-case scenario may be that you get a criminal record. “So your right to dignity, right to privacy, right to engage in free trade, just to name a few, are compromised.” He said there were many gaps in our legal system that leave people vulnerable to identity fraud. Credit agents and service providers were able to give people access to verify your identity and find out who you are. He said the law requires credit agreements to include a verification step to prevent fraud. “There are still loopholes, but they can be fixed where in instances it has been found that fraud has been committed, then that particular entity that granted the fraud has to clear your name and compensate you for any damages that have been suffered. I think when they see that they are getting punished financially, they will not be reckless in granting credits,” said Zikalala.

Local entrepreneurs and spaza shop owners have lashed out at the Gauteng Department of Economic Development for failing to deliver on their promises which were part of the R100 million “Kasi Mnotho Fund”.
The fund was aimed at offering strategic loans and empowering businesses to secure trading stock, equipment, machinery and working capital. This initiative was promised to business owners in an attempt to foster entrepreneurship and propel economic growth in Gauteng’s townships.
However, the intended beneficiaries say that have not received any support or funding after they were promised payment by an intermediary of the department, Family Tree Holdings.
Small business owners and township entrepreneurs, who are intended beneficiaries of the fund are up in arms. They claim that they have been duped by government, after having not received a single cent, that was promised to them in 2022.
58-year old Gertrude Thilijana from Thokoza, says government has failed on its promise to uplift the township economy.
“They promised me groceries for R50 000, they promised me a money machine and they promised me money for airtime and all of that and until now, there is nothing. It is only the painting that is finished. I lost too much; I am definitely sure it is more than R1 000. I want government to just help me, I am suffering, I really suffer but I am trying.”
Another intended beneficiary, Neo Motaung, says he has been taken from pillar to post in his quest to get answers from both the department and Family Tree Holdings.
“ When they responded to me, it was that they were going to investigate and they will come back to me and make interviews with these spaza shop owners. And unfortunately, that never happened. The only thing that happened was delaying tactics. Nothing really happened. They are there sitting comfortably, and they never came to any of these SMMEs or spaza shop owners to ask if they have received any help from Family Tree and they have never done that.”
Build One South Africa leader, Mmusi Maimane, has called for an urgent forensic investigation into allegations of corruption at the fund.
“We are demanding three things; a forensic investigation must be done so that we know where the money is and I will be writing to the President to request that an SIU proclamation be done and we demand to know where all the funding went. Secondly as we lodged a Public Protector complaint, I will be following up to make sure that it is followed up, so we get to the acts of corruption. Lastly, each of these entrepreneurs have put money into either the joining of the business forum and contribution to its upkeep. And we demand that money be paid back to them and the true beneficiaries of the fund are the actual ones rather than the politicians.”
The Gauteng Department of Economic Development has refuted the corruption claims. The Department’s Matopane Masha says their intermediar , Family Tree Holdings, is still finalising the list of successful applicants, before payments can start.
“Family Tree was appointed after a due diligence process was conducted independently and they were appointed as an intermediary on the Kasi Mnotho Fund where they contributed R50 million and government contributed R50 million. But as of now, they haven’t disbursed any money. They are a lot of applications that they have received and those applications, once they are processed and approved, the SMMEs will be funded. So, the R100 million fund is still there and it has not been disbursed yet,” says Masha.

INDIAN VISA FOR NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS: New Zealand is eligible, along with 169 other nationalities, to request an e-visa for India. New Zealand travelers can easily request an electronic travel authorization for India from the comfort of their own homes thanks to the streamlined e-Visa system. Since 2014, people from New Zealand have been able to use online platforms to apply for Indian visas. At present, the sole option for obtaining an e-Visa from India to New Zealand is through the online process. Travelers who meet the eligibility criteria can choose from various types of Indian eVisas, such as the eTourist Visa, eBusiness Visa, eMedical Visa, and eMedical-attendant Visa. Moreover, New Zealanders can apply for a multi-entry visa for India, allowing them to stay for up to 90 days on each visit, valid for one year from the approval date. One other option is to request a two-entry tourist visa, enabling you to remain for up to 30 days. Business e-Visa is required for business-related travel to India, excluding work purposes. This visa category permits individuals to remain in India for a maximum of 365 days with the flexibility to enter and exit the country multiple times, with each visit not exceeding 180 days. E-Medical Visa: If you need medical treatment within India, this type is best for you as the length of stay is up to 60 days and triple entry in advance. All the different types of e-Visas for New Zealand and India are multiple-entry travel authorizations, with the exception of the online medical visa which is triple entry visa. This online entry visa to India eliminates the need to visit an embassy or consulate to apply in person or wait in long lines at the border to apply for an Indian visa on arrival.
Documents Required for New Zealand Citizens
•    New Zealand passport with a minimum validity of 6 months from the expected date of arrival in India, containing at least 2 blank pages.
•    Digital image of the passport information page (also known as the biographical page).
•    A valid email address to receive the eVisa in their Inbox.
•    A recent photograph of the applicant, passport-style.
•    You can use a Valid credit or debit card to pay for the eVisa fees.
INDIAN VISA FOR SOUTH AFRICAN CITIZENS
The tourism sector in India is rapidly growing, prompting the government to actively look for ways to further expand. As a result, the Indian government has introduced the Indian e-Visa program to draw visitors from across the world to come to India. Starting in 2014, South African citizens have been able to conveniently apply for an Indian visa online. South African tourists need to obtain an Indian e-Visa in order to visit India. Presently, citizens of 169 different countries can apply for and receive an Indian e-visa. The type of e-Visa required varies depending on the purpose of the trip. Individuals planning to visit India must obtain a tourist e-Visa. This visa allows people to stay in India for a maximum of 30 days starting from the day of arrival. It is significant to mention that this particular e-Visa only permits one entry and cannot be extended. An India Business eVisa is required if you are visiting India for business. Using an e-Business Visa, you can stay in India for 365 days with multiple entries. However, this type of visa does not allow you to stay longer than 180 days at a time. If the traveler is visiting the country for medical treatment, they must apply for an Electronic Medical Visa. e-Medical Visa: Stay in India for 60 days from the date of entry into India with triple entry. Applying for an India e-Visa is a very simple process that is completed online and saves travelers the hassle of going to a local embassy or consulate to apply for one.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF VISAS I CAN GET?
•    Tourist eVisa.
•    Business eVisa.
•    Medical eVisa.
Required Documents for South Africans Citizens
•    All travelers must have a passport that will be valid for at least 6 months from the date of their arrival in India.
•    A valid payment method (such as your debit/credit card) to pay for the eVisa fees.
•    A digital photo of yourself (it must have been taken recently, you cannot make any gestures, and it must have a white background).
•    A valid email address to receive the eVisa in their Inbox.
INDIAN VISA FOR SWISS CITIZENS
Swiss citizens must secure a visa before traveling to India. Nevertheless, individuals from Switzerland, as well as people from 169 other nations, can choose to request an e-Visa via the internet for tourism, medical, or business reasons. This handy digital document acts as an official permission for traveling within India. Swiss nationals have the choice to request either an e-visa, tourist visa, business visa, or medical visa depending on their reason for travel. Swiss nationals have the option of selecting from two different kinds of tourist visas during the application process for their travel to India. The eVisa for Swiss citizens permits two trips to India within 30 days, with a maximum stay of 30 days each visit. However, the 1 Year Indian Tourist eVisa allows citizens of Switzerland to enter multiple times within a 365-day period, with each visit lasting up to 90 days from the entry date. The duration of validity for the Business Visa in India is 1 year for Swiss citizens. Yet, the duration of time spent in India on a business visa is extended. Swiss nationals are allowed to remain in India for a maximum of 180 days using the e-business visa. Either 180 consecutive days or a cumulative total of 180 days across multiple trips. This e-Visa is electronically linked to your passport. Applying for Indian Visa for Swiss citizens is easier than ever. Applying for Indian Visa for Swiss Citizens is a simple and quick process that can be completed in about 15 minutes from anywhere in the country as long as the applicant has an internet connection.
TYPES OF eVISA
•    Tourist eVisa
•    Business eVisa
•    Medical eVisa
Requirement for Indian Visa for Swiss citizens
•    Passport - Passport, at least six months of remaining validity from the date of intended arrival. Two blank passport pages for stamps.
•    Digital photo of yourself - it is recommended that the photo is recently taken. You should not make face gestures in it, and the background should be white.
•    A scanned passport with its information page
•    A Valid email address to receive the eVisa in their Inbox.
•    Modes of payment - You can use a credit or a debit card, and since PayPal has become quite popular, you can use that as well.
INDIAN VISA FOR BULGARIAN CITIZENS
India, located in South Asia, is a highly sought-after tourist destination. The e-Visa program has been introduced by the government in order to boost tourist numbers in the country. People from Bulgaria and 169 other countries can now apply for an e-Visa to enter India. Since 2014, Bulgarian citizens have been able to utilize the online visa application system developed by the Indian government. The type of e-Visa required depends on the purpose of your travel. If you are traveling for leisure, business, or to visit family, you are eligible for an electronic travel visa. This visa allows for two visits and a duration of up to 30 days, starting from the arrival date. The e-Business Visa is not for working, but it enables individuals to engage in business activities within India. This visa allows for a total stay of 365 days in India, with a limit of 180 days per visit. e-Medical Visa + Medical Attendant: This type of e-Visa is used when you need to receive medical treatments in India, including yoga and physical therapy. You can stay in India for up to 60 days and enter the country three times. The process of obtaining an Indian e-Visa is very simple and is entirely online, eliminating the need to visit a local Embassy or Consulate.
TYPES OF INDIAN E-VISA
•    India Tourist eVisa
•    India Business eVisa
•    India Medical eVisa
Indian Visa Document requirements for Bulgarian Citizens
•    A valid passport with a minimum validity of 6 months after arrival and has two blank pages.
•    A complete Passport details scan.
•    Applicant recent photo.
•    A valid email address to receive the e-Visa in their Inbox.
•    You can use multiple Payment methods such as credit/debit card or use a PayPal account.
Indian Visa Eligibility
The e-Visa has greatly simplified how tourists enter the country, playing a vital role in India's economy. The aim of the India e-Visa was to simplify the visa application process and attract more international tourists. People from 169 countries can currently apply for an electronic visa. As a result, many tourists planning to visit India will benefit from the expedited visa approval process. Prior to traveling to India, it is crucial to obtain an India e-Visa. In order to make a payment, a debit or credit card, an active email account, and a valid passport are necessary. Prior to starting the visa application process, make sure that your passport is still valid.
Documents Required for the Indian e-Visa
•    A Valid passport.
•    Passport-style photo of the applicant.
•    A valid Email address to receive the eVisa in their Inbox.
•    You can use a Credit or debit card to pay for the eVisa.

Estimations and inflated reports on the number of illegal foreigners plaguing SA, its borders and economy have been widespread for decades, often driven by political agendas.
As far back as 1998, Human Rights Watch reported a rise of xenophobia in the country and that “... some politicians in SA are exploiting the issue of undocumented migration for their own political gain, increasing levels of xenophobia by making unfounded and explosive statements about the cost of undocumented migration and its effects on various social services and crime.
“The mainstream debate around illegal immigration in SA, focusing on the economic impact and the impact on crime of undocumented migration, has been alarmist and ill-informed.”   
The most recent xenophobic attacks on social media directed at the newly appointed home affairs minister after his first act as a minister — extending the concessions made in light of the persistent backlog for legal foreigners with pending delayed applications — are a glaring example of how things have remained unchanged and how social media disinformation campaigns and agendas can thrive in modern times.
Shortly after the social media strike, to restore the public opinion balance, new home affairs minister Leon Schreiber publicly commended the SA Police Service on the arrest of undocumented foreigners in Paarl. According to the police, a trailer attached to a bus had been found to contain undocumented women and children, and one of the passengers attempted to bribe the police official who instead “honoured his mandate and executed an arrest on charges of prevention and combating of corrupt activities, an offence in terms of the Immigration Act, and prevention and combating of trafficking in persons”.
Given the minor scale of this incident in the context of the millions of illegal foreigners estimated to be within our borders, one can only wonder if its newsworthiness relates more to the non-venality of the police official rather than to a success story in the country’s fight against illegal immigration.
Back in 1997, then home affairs minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s estimate was that the number of illegal foreigners in SA was between 2.5-million and 5-million. Reading between the lines, the narrative was that less than 10% of the estimated population at the time was responsible for the surge of crime in SA. This storyline and the absence of any evidence to support it has found fertile ground in which to grow year after year across a population subjected to a severe lack of fundamental service provision.
In early 2024, then home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi, in full political campaign mode, vowed repeatedly to remove illegal immigrants and get rid of what he referred to as “crocodiles”. Dr Motsoaledi further clarified that his primary target was “respectable people who enter the country legally wearing suits or high heels carrying briefcases full of cash to bribe officials to legalise their stay in the country. We have reason to believe that crocodiles are found all over the country in very high positions.”   
On April 17, coinciding with the publication of the final White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration & Refugees Protection, Dr Motsoaledi also stated that “no-one can account for all undocumented migrants. [Home affairs] has no idea as to how many illegal immigrants are in SA”.
This admission alone undermined the border protection-driven immigration policies and credo he and his predecessors actively promoted. The establishment of the Border Management Agency was after all his solution to reduce the risk of illegal migration through SA’s porous borders.
The common thread over the years has remained alarmingly vague numbers, ineffective solutions and bribes. Yet understanding the real number of illegal immigrants is only the tip of the iceberg for a country struggling to come to terms with its own census. As recently as October 2023, the SA census set the record for the highest undercount (31%) among those countries where the undercount is measured and reported by the UN Population Division.
Although Stats SA has challenged these claims as unfounded and misleading, it remains evident that an undercount of any extent defeats the whole purpose of collecting census data, which is crucially aimed at planning investment and allocating resources within a country’s public and private sectors.
Whether undocumented and illegal foreigners are really responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in SA, or not, it should be in everyone’s best interest to have an accurate census of illegal immigrants, allowing for their biometrics to be captured, their addresses to be included in reliable databases, and their ties, contribution or lack thereof to SA to be verified and considered rather than running dangerous witch hunts that only lead to bribes and fraud or, even worse, human rights violations.
Inconsistent application of our law and selective enforcement are not the answer. Arresting and deporting “crocodiles” — men, women and children — is not the way forward. We should demand a more human rights-driven and considered approach from our government.
Raids and arrests, as have been witnessed in the recent past, will only increase xenophobia, fraud and crime. Fraudulent remedies will increase with the increased demand and desperation. Bribes, fraudulent documents, fake marriages and illegal activities beyond an immigration perspective will prosper like a pandemic. Just over the past few weeks the number of enquiries received by this law firm from foreigners relating to work visas they don’t qualify for has surged in an unprecedented manner. This demand will be met somewhere else as people are left with no other choice.
Fraud and security breaches within the department of home affairs are also unmatched in their level of sophistication. This is cause for great concern, considering the sensitive information received, stored and processed by the department in its daily functions.
Investigating these integrity breaches within home affairs should be a primary focus if the department wishes to implement meaningful change rather than enact extreme measures to combat illegal migration and the breach of SA’s physical borders. We often only hear of the causes célèbre and not of the daily ramifications of these toxic operations.
A well-co-ordinated and well-informed amnesty with specific objectives and lawful process is the only effective solution to avoid the ongoing internal and external onslaught.