Hundreds of illegal immigrants arrested at Beitbridge Border Post
ENCA - 17 Apr 2022
Government is waging a war against illegal immigrants coming into the country. Over 200 Zimbabwean nationals were arrested at the Beitbridge Border Post. This is as Home Affairs cracks down on illegal crossings between South Africa and Zimbabwe. eNCA's Manqoba Mchunu was there.
Courtesy #DStv403
Home Affairs beset with an
array of challenges
Iol.co.za -17-04-2022
The website of the Department of Home Affairs should stop giving the misleading impression (similar to other government departments) of a department under control, says the writer.
The outcry from miscellaneous members of the South African public against the lacklustre services by officials of the Department of Home Affairs is amplifying.
The list of grievances includes disheartening queues, which commence beyond entrances of the majority of the branches of Home Affairs, key machinery being intermittently offline, fallible plenipotentiaries prone to bribery, and most recently, the growing calls for the resignation of Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
In my view, Motsoaledi is among the few performing ministers in an obsolete ANC-led government. He is, sadly, let down in his present ministry by inept and corrupt plenipotentiaries. Removing him alone instead of the entire ANC Cabinet will be similar to playing the man instead of the ball.
In sum, such a move will not change anything. The aforesaid concerns, however, about the Department of Home Affairs, under his watch as the incumbent minister more than hints at a government department beset with obstinate challenges.
The latest mega bust by the Hawks of a fake passport syndicate, arrested on March 24, is among a string of sagas serving as evidence to support claims of corrupt activities apropos the Department of Home Affairs. Motsoaledi confirmed that 29 suspects, including an alleged kingpin, who was the mastermind behind the operation of selling fraudulent passports, were arrested in the Home Affairs office in Krugersdorp.
More arrests were imminent at other branches of the Department of Home Affairs. Details of the modus operandi of this syndicate confirmed the deep rot of maladministration, which disregarded all the immigration laws of South Africa.
Bribery of vulnerable South African victims and officials of the Department of Home Affairs was exposed. The aforesaid case reminded the public of almost similar exposures among others in the High-Level Panel Report on the State Security Agency (SSA), chaired by former minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi (released in December 2018) and the Report on State Capture, chaired by the then deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo (released in early 2022).
Effectiveness of the Department of Home Affairs continues to be raised amid the furore caused by infamous skirmishes led by “Operation Dudula” in Gauteng. The latter justify their operations in the guise of “Putting South Africans first”, a salvo directed against Africans they criticise as “undocumented foreign nationals”.
Such categorisation of fellow Africans must be rejected. As an Afrocentrist (explicated by Molefi Asante as one who subscribes to an ideology that Africans must be at the centre of their own experiences) which must not be confused with Pan-Africanists (members of a movement, not an ideology calling for African unity worldwide) I vehemently take exception with a historic derogatory references to any group of Africans, as this notably manifests self-inferiority.
Predictably, members of the public, unimpressed with Operation Dudula, have problematically slated them as xenophobic. For the record, xenophobia is a dislike of people from other countries, but it implies that those people are of multiple races.
Consistent with my Afrocentric stance, I opine that the latter charge is erroneous, in our local context. It must appropriately be replaced with Afrophobia, as the attacks are taking place only between indigenous Africans. In a recent interview, Motsoaledi found himself compelled to side with his political principal, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who went as far as labelling Operation Dudula as a “vigilante-like force”.
Such demeaning name-calling by the State President was unnecessary. Ironically, the “vigilantes” argue that they are helping government, especially the Department of Home Affairs and Police, by weeding out “undocumented foreign nationals”.
Motsoaledi inflexibly refutes any association between the Department of Home Affairs and Operation Dudula. Home Affairs has seemingly been in a quagmire for some time.
Unlike their counterparts, the Department of Police, led by the obdurate Minister Bheki Cele, Motsoaledi must not be in denial of the reality that his department must confront by sketching out plans to overcome identified problems.
For starters, the website of the Department of Home Affairs should stop giving the misleading impression (similar to other government departments) of a department under control. In the wake of ongoing exposés related Home Affairs, any claim(s) of being under control ought to be read as preposterous.
The listed concerns at the commencement of this article certainly challenge any denial of the Department of Home Affairs being in any purported position that may support wishful thinking of being under control.
Denialism will not solve anything. In reality, when one considers the malfeasance by an array of rogue individuals with proximity to politicians, in cahoots with government officials, then maladministration and corruption at Home Affairs (as elsewhere) should not astonish anyone.
Required solution(s) must begin from the premise that more than enough documents capturing rules and regulations of running government departments exist. What has always lacked is enough ethical plenipotentiaries with the political will to adhere to and implement rules.
www,samigration.com
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA: Crime, not migrants, the common enemy we must work to defeat
EWN – 15-April 2022
Dear Fellow South African,
Twenty-five years ago, our new democratic Constitution came into effect. In adopting this Constitution, we affirmed our commitment to a society based on democratic values, social justice and human rights.
We were also making a complete break with our past. This was a past of race-based social engineering that manifested itself through influx control, job reservation, group areas and the dreaded dompas. When our forebears drafted the Freedom Charter in 1955, whose principles have been incorporated in our constitution, and declared that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, they were seeking a society free from ethnic chauvinism, tribalism, racism and sexism.
It is therefore deeply disturbing how the recent incidents of anti-foreigner sentiment in parts of the country echo our apartheid past.
We have seen people being stopped on the street by private citizens and being forced to produce identification to verify their immigration status. We have seen some political leaders making unscientific statements about immigrants to exploit people’s grievances for political gain.
We have seen marches being led on people’s homes and their dwellings raided for evidence of criminal activity. We have seen people being attacked, hurt and even killed because of how they looked or because they have a particular accent.
This was how the apartheid oppressors operated.
They said some people could only live in certain areas, operate certain businesses or take certain jobs. Under apartheid, black people were deemed suspects by default and stopped by police when found in so-called white areas. Black people were forced to produce a dompas and if they could not do so, they were jailed.
We cannot allow such injustices to happen again.
The events in the Gauteng township of Diepsloot last week were a tragedy. In the course of a single weekend, seven people were killed, sparking protests. This loss of life is deplorable, as is the killing of a fellow African from Zimbabwe allegedly at the hands of vigilantes.
Crime is a serious problem in this country. It affects all communities and people are justifiably tired of living in fear of criminals.
Contrary to what is claimed by some anti-immigration groupings and individuals, the perpetrators of crime are both black and white, male and female, foreigner and citizen.
Crime, not migrants, is the common enemy we must work together to defeat.
We cannot defeat crime through incitement, violence, intimidation and vigilantism aimed at foreign nationals, and specifically nationals from other African countries.
We acknowledge many communities are frustrated by the apparent inability of the police to deal with criminals. Among the measures we are taking to capacitate the police is the recruitment of an additional 12,000 additional police officers.
We are also re-establishing community policing forums (CPFs) across the country. These forums bring communities and police representatives together to improve local safety and hold police accountable. Communities need to work with the police by actively participating in CPFs and reporting suspected acts of criminality.
Even as we intensify our fight against crime, there is no justification for people taking the law into their own hands.
At the same time, we recognise that illegal migration poses a risk to South Africa’s security, stability and economic progress. Illegal migration affects service delivery and places additional burdens on essential services such as health care and education.
Like any sovereign nation, we have the right to implement policies and measures that guarantee the integrity of our borders, protect the rights of South Africans and provide that all who reside in our borders have a legal right to be here.
Controlling migration is the responsibility of government.
No private citizen may assume the role of immigration or law enforcement authorities by demanding that foreign nationals produce identification. Under Section 41 of the Immigration Act, only a police member or immigration officer can ask someone to identify themselves as a citizen, permanent resident or foreign national. If these officers believe, on reasonable grounds, that the person is in the country unlawfully, they may be detained while an investigation into their status is conducted. When doing so, law enforcement authorities must respect that person’s rights and dignity. They may not do so in a manner that is degrading or humiliating.
Enforcement of migration legislation is a priority for government. We are working to ensure that syndicates perpetrating immigration fraud in collusion with corrupt officials are brought to book. This year alone, several people implicated in passport fraud have been arrested.
No private citizen or group has the right to enter businesses and demand its owners produce proof that their businesses are registered or legal. This is the competence of municipal, provincial or national authorities, including inspectors from the Department of Employment and Labour and the South African Revenue Service.
Like all other businesses, foreign-owned businesses must obey the relevant laws, including health and safety regulations, have all the required permits and licences, and pay the necessary taxes.
We are a democracy founded on the rule of law. Acts of lawlessness directed at foreign nationals, whether they are documented or undocumented, cannot be tolerated.
Attacking those we suspect of wrongdoing merely because they are a foreign national is not an act of patriotism. It is immoral, racist and criminal. In the end, it will lead to xenophobia, whose consequences we have lived through in previous years. We do not want to go back there because in the main the people of South Africa are not xenophobic.
I want to appeal to all South Africans, but particularly to younger South Africans who thankfully never experienced the true brutality and dehumanisation of apartheid. Let us not become like the ones who oppressed us, no matter how legitimate the grievance.
Let us work together to resolve our country’s challenges without resorting to violence or vigilantism. Let us resist those who want to exploit the problems of crime and unemployment for political gain.
Today, our anger may be directed at nationals from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria or Pakistan. Tomorrow, our anger may be directed at each other.
Let us
heed the words of Martin Niemöller’s famous poem about the Nazis in Germany:
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Let us focus on defeating crime, no matter who commits it.
www,samigration.com
Asylum system in SA is broken and is failing
migrants - Amnesty International
EWN – 15 April 2022
Mandy Wiener chats to Amnesty International South Africa executive director Shenilla Mohamed on the recent xenophobic attacks.
Amnesty International South Africa says the state is failing South Africans and migrants by not dealing with crime and allowing impunity to continue around xenophobic attacks.
The organisation adds that authorities need to step up and deal with these xenophobic attacks on vulnerable migrants who have become scapegoats for communities unhappy with the levels of crime.
A 2019 reported we released found that the asylum system in South Africa is broken and this has resulted in people living in limbo.
Shenilla Mohamed, Executive director - Amnesty International South Africa
People who have genuinely escaped conflicts are being grouped with economic migrants and are all being treated the same way, she says.
When you find someone without the right papers, it is probably because the asylum system at Home Affairs is not doing what it is supposed to do.
Shenilla Mohamed, Executive director - Amnesty International South Africa
It’s time to turn the
department of home affairs around
Mail & Guardian - 15 Apr 2022
The outcry is growing from the South African public about the lacklustre services that department of home affairs officials provide, a saga that has been ongoing for years. The list of grievances includes disheartening queues, which commence beyond the entrances of most of the home affairs branches, key machinery being intermittently offline, fallible officials prone to bribery and most recently, the growing calls for the resignation of Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
In my view, Motsoaledi is among the few performing ministers in an obsolete ANC-led government. He is sadly let down in his present ministry and its inept and corrupt staff. Removing him instead of the entire ANC cabinet would be similar to playing the man instead of the ball; such a move would not change anything.
The department is plagued by obstinate challenges. The latest Hawks bust of a fake passport syndicate on 24 March 2022 is among a string of sagas that support claims of corrupt activities there. Motsoaledi confirmed that 29 suspects including an alleged kingpin, who was the mastermind behind the operation of selling fraudulent passports, were arrested in the home affairs office in Krugersdorp. More arrests are imminent at other branches. Details of the modus operandi of this syndicate confirm the deep rot of maladministration that disregards the immigration laws of South Africa. There have been many similar cases exposed at all levels of government by, for instance, the Zondo commission.
Now there is “Operation Dudula” in Gauteng. These people justify their operations under the pretense of “putting South Africans first” and direct their aggression against Africans they view as “undocumented foreign nationals”. Such categorisation of fellow Africans must be firmly rejected.
Predictably members of the public unimpressed with Operation Dudula have slated it as being xenophobic. I opine that the latter charge is erroneous: in our local context it must appropriately be regarded as Afrophobia, as the attacks are taking place only between indigenous Africans.
In a recent interview Motsoaledi found himself compelled to side with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who went as far as labelling Dudula as a “vigilante-like force”. Such demeaning name-calling by the President was unnecessary. Ironically, the “vigilantes” argue that they are helping government, especially the department of home affairs and the Police, by weeding out “undocumented foreign nationals”. Motsoaledi refutes any association between the department of home affairs and Dudula.
His department has however been in a quagmire for quite some time. But he should not be in denial of the realities that his department must confront, and sketch out his plans to overcome the identified problems. For starters the department’s website should stop giving the misleading impression that it actually functions. Denialism will not solve anything.
In reality, when one considers the malfeasance by an array of rogue individuals with proximity to power, then the maladministration and corruption at the department of home affairs (as elsewhere) should not astonish anyone. Required solution(s) must begin from the premise that more than enough documents outlining the rules and regulations of running government departments exist. What has always been lacking is sufficient ethical officials, with the political will to adhere to and implement the law.
www.samigration.com