As tensions persist in Durban following the relocation of migrants from the Diakonia Council of Churches Centre to a refugee facility, ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal leader Zwakele Mncwango has called for strict immigration enforcement, including the deportation of undocumented individuals and those with fraudulent papers.
Speaking after it was reported that only one of approximately 300 foreign nationals was found to be illegally in the Durban area, Mncwango argued that the situation could have been avoided with proactive governance.
“There’s been outcry over illegal immigration in our country,” Mncwango said. He noted that ActionSA had tabled three motions in the municipal council, including proposals to protect township economies, create a security cluster to deal decisively with illegal immigration and related crimes, and hold stakeholder engagements involving Home Affairs, metro police, border management, and SAPS. He stated that those motions were declined by a majority consisting of the ANC, IFP, and EFF.
Mncwango said the mayor and the ANC and IFP “should be ashamed” for refusing to debate a motion intended to prevent looming violence between foreign nationals and South Africans.
While acknowledging that ActionSA continues to call for calm, Mncwango raised concerns about the validity of documents held by foreign nationals. “Having documents doesn’t mean they are being verified as a legit document because some of these documents are fake documents,” he said. “Maybe out of that 300 documents, maybe 100 of those documents are even fake.”
He further questioned whether foreign nationals running businesses are complying with the legal requirement to invest 5 million rand or more. He also noted that many of the individuals appeared to be homeless, asking where they had been staying and who had moved them.
Mncwango rejected any suggestion that South Africans had violently attacked foreign nationals, asserting that the individuals voluntarily went to a police station and that media had created a false perception. “No one was really beating them up,” he said. “They came pushing themselves and they were fighting with police.”
He concluded that Home Affairs must verify all documents. “Those with legit documents must stay in the country, and those with no documents and fake documents must return to their country,” he said. Using a forceful analogy, he added: “If you enter my house through the window, I must take you out through the window. … They came through back doors in our country with no documentation. Then why must we worry about them? They must go back to their country.”