PRETORIA, Gauteng — The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) has sounded a grave alarm regarding a recent spike in South Africa political killings and escalating immigration enforcement operations as the country braces for the highly contested November 4 local government elections.
Addressing the media, NatJoints co-chair Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili outlined a comprehensive electoral operational plan designed to ensure the upcoming polls proceed without disruption. However, the briefing was heavily underscored by concerns over political violence and a heavily publicized state crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals.
A Surge in Political Assassinations
According to law enforcement, at least six individuals from four different political parties have been gunned down since the start of the year. The victims include councilors and members from the African National Congress (ANC), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Democratic Alliance (DA), and other regional parties across the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Gauteng.
Despite the surge in politically motivated murders ahead of the local elections, Lieutenant General Mosikili noted that law enforcement has risen to the occasion, resulting in seven recent arrests. Mosikili issued a stern warning to those plotting violence for political gain, emphasizing that there is “absolutely no justification for taking the life of another simply because of political intolerance.”
Much of the recent success in curbing political violence has been attributed to the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). Mosikili praised the multidisciplinary unit, noting that since its establishment, the PKTT has arrested more than 400 suspects, including over 180 alleged hitmen linked to the murders of councilors and political leaders.
“We are issuing a stern warning to everyone who is planning attacks, assassinations, or acts of violence for political gain. You will be arrested, prosecuted, and upon conviction, face lengthy prison sentences,” Mosikili stated.
Escalating Immigration Raids and Border Sweeps
Alongside election security, NatJoints highlighted a massive, coordinated push against illegal immigration—a move officials say is producing significant results but has also sparked concerns about rising xenophobic sentiment ahead of the polls.
Authorities reported aggressive enforcement metrics, including 93 border patrols in June and 81 in July. In July alone, 16,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested, bringing the total number of repatriated foreign nationals to 77,000. On the domestic front, over 6,000 labor inspectors have been deployed to conduct workplace raids. The Western Cape alone saw 14,000 labor inspections, with more than 2,000 conducted in Gauteng.
To secure the November 4 elections, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will also be deployed to assist the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) with the transportation of voting equipment.
Expert Pushback: “Political Theater” or Pragmatic Policy?
While the government frames the immigration crackdown as a necessary security and economic measure, independent experts argue the aggressive visibility of these raids is driven more by election-year politics than by sustainable development strategies.
Professor Loren Landau, a professor of development and migration at the University of Oxford, weighed in on the state’s strategy, arguing that the government is “naturalizing the association between immigration and social ills.”
“I don’t think there’s anything that the state could do that would allay these movements because effectively, a lot of the fear, a lot of the discussions, a lot of this kind of crisis of immigration is invented,” Prof. Landau explained. He noted that immigrants are not the root cause of the country’s severe challenges, such as political killings, water shortages, or unemployment.
Landau characterized the weekly announcements of mass arrests and workplace raids as a “political performance” designed to steal the thunder from populist anti-immigration movements that have been organizing protests leading up to the November elections.
“What they’re doing instead of looking for all of these [labor violations] across the country is specifically targeting places where they think there are immigrants,” Landau observed, warning that such tactics do not improve general labor conditions or address the root causes of crime.
Instead of what he described as fear-driven policy, Prof. Landau advocated for a “realistic, pragmatic, humane, and developmental” immigration approach based on empirical data. He urged the state to enforce existing criminal and labor laws universally, rather than scapegoating foreign nationals to distract from systemic domestic issues like corruption and failing infrastructure.
“Putting all of our problems on the back of immigrants leaves all of these other things unaddressed,” Landau concluded. “Immigrants are not going to solve any of those.”
As the November 4 elections draw near, South Africa remains caught between a heavily policed electoral security plan and a deeply polarized national debate over migration, governance, and political violence.