By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration hosted a press briefing in regards to discussing the plans that the government has come up with to manage the situation pertaining to migration.
This media update follows the June 30 protests which present a mandate for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa. This briefing will highlight key interventions that the government has come up with to strengthen their approach on how they plan on maintaining control of the challenges.
The illegal immigrant protests took place in several provinces including KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape as the demonstrators called for stronger protocols to be put in place in terms of immigration laws as well as the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.
The committee has acknowledged that unemployment has been growing, as well as delivery constraints, public safety and border management. The state has reaffirmed its efforts on curbing human trafficking, border related crime and illegal immigration.
“Those who chose to exploit the marches to commit criminal acts will face the full might of the law” the committee said. The Committee has also stated that they will continue to work in tandem with law enforcement agencies in order to just dismantle criminal syndicates.
“Allow us to do this work. When you go and do your own thing, you are disrupting and distracting us from the focus that we have” said Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of South Africa, Mmamoloko Kubayi.
Kubayi has also stated that those committing crimes under the pretense of being a part of anti-foreigner movements will certainly face criminal prosecution as she has noted that seven people have already been apprehended in Polokwane.
She has also noted that 68,138 foreign nationals have been deported or voluntarily repatriated between 14 June and 25 July after Malawian nationals first assembled at the Sherwood processing site in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Border Management Authority had separately processed 72,906 repatriations through ports of entry between 7 June and 14 July across a variety of different nationalities, including those that processed the Musina facility.
The government has also stated that the Musina centre capacity will be scaled down from 20,000 people to 1,500 people from 1 August which has followed a sustained decline in the number of people who still require to be processed.
“We envisage that the phased scaling down of the centre will not negatively impact or compromise both the deportation and repatriation processes we are undertaking” , said the IMC.
The IMC has also said that 28,736 immigration related matters had finalised by immigration courts between the months of April and June, as Gauteng accounts for almost half of the completed cases.
“To date law enforcement authorities have registered 354 cases of arrests and prosecutions are still pending against individuals who are in contravention of the law related to the issue of migration” said Kubayi.
“An additional 69 people were arrested in Jeffreys Bay last weekend and appeared in court on Monday. Government is making it clear that migration management is fundamentally a rule of law matter, and it has to be taken by those who are entitled to do so, or who have the authority to do so” said the IMC.