South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a comprehensive set of new measures to crack down on illegal migration, as anti-foreigner protests spread across multiple provinces and pressure mounts on the government to respond to rising public frustration over unemployment and undocumented immigration.
Addressing the nation, Ramaphosa was direct about the government’s objective: “We want a South Africa where every person who enters the country does so lawfully. We can protect our borders while protecting human dignity. We can enforce our laws while upholding our Constitution. We can secure our communities while preserving the values of Ubuntu that define us as a people.”
What the Government Is Doing
Ramaphosa announced five pillars of the government’s new migration strategy: intensified enforcement of immigration and labour laws, stronger border controls, a crackdown on corruption within the immigration system, a biometric population register, and dedicated immigration courts to speed up deportations.
On employers exploiting undocumented migrants, Ramaphosa was unequivocal: “We are going to increase the penalties, including imprisonment, for employers who violate the Immigration Act,” he said, accusing some businesses of deliberately hiring undocumented workers to pay below-minimum wages and impose poor conditions.
Labour migration reforms are also on the horizon, with proposed legislation allowing the government to introduce quotas on the employment of foreign nationals in specific sectors.
The Line on Xenophobia
While hardening the government’s enforcement posture, Ramaphosa drew a firm line against vigilantism and anti-foreigner violence. “We know that South Africans are not xenophobic as there is no space for xenophobia, racism, sexism, Afrophobia or any other forms of intolerance in South Africa,” he said, warning that no individual or group had the right to demand proof of nationality from people in public spaces.
His remarks came as anti-foreigner protests spread across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape, with incidents in Ekurhuleni targeting the homes of foreign nationals. Anti-migrant groups have set 30 June as a deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country. Ramaphosa warned that the government would act against those seeking to exploit migration concerns to advance political, personal, or criminal agendas.
The Continental Dimension
During a State Visit by Kenyan President William Ruto, Ramaphosa sought to reframe the conversation around the underlying economic factors driving migration rather than the migrants themselves. President Ruto echoed that position, arguing that migration pressures are largely the result of uneven economic development across the continent. Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe have all urged their citizens in South Africa to remain vigilant amid the rising tensions.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that illegal immigration is not the root cause of South Africa’s economic challenges, stating that faster growth, investment, industrial expansion, and job creation remain the country’s long-term priorities. South Africa, he confirmed, would continue engaging countries across the continent to address the deeper drivers of migration.
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