Government silent in the face of rising unlawful immigration crisis
22 June 2021
ActionSA has received correspondence from the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on concerns regarding the influx of undocumented persons in Tshwane and its surroundings. This is after ActionSA wrote to the Minister, the Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Cllr Randall Williams, and the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Mr Edward Kieswetter, following a visit to Kudube Ext 2, in Temba Hammanskraal, where the community has become the target of criminals perpetrating alleged property invasions, by-law infringements, reported attempted hijackings, and other criminal activity. The community alleges that the members of this group of criminals are largely undocumented persons.
While all our communities must be inclusive and welcoming to people from across the globe, all people – South African citizens and foreign residents alike – must respect our laws. This includes the need for foreign nationals to enter our country legally and obey our laws once here. In this respect, the allegations made by the community regarding certain criminal activities are deserving of investigation and require appropriate action by government authorities.
In his letter, the Minister concedes that unlawful immigration, and the challenges it presents, are of major concern for his office. However, Dr Motsoaledi is vague on how the matter is to be effectively addressed. Strangely, the Minister refers to a meeting between City of Tshwane officials and himself on the 26th of February 2021 – where parties supposedly agreed to address the present problem – but no concrete plan is adequately indicated by the Minister.
Dr Motsoaledi’s “response” to this issue is indicative of the government’s failure to ensure that the rule of law is respected. This seems to have become fashionable across government. It is disappointing to note the SARS Commissioner (who had promised to respond to our letter of 13 May 2021 by 13 June 2021) and the Mayor of Tshwane have not responded to the concerns raised by the community.