Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
SOUTH AFRICA’S Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration has intensified efforts to curb civilians illegally enforcing migration laws and intimidating people amid a wave of anti-migrant protests, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi said on Sunday.
Addressing the media on progress made in implementing the government’s Five-Point Plan on migration management, Minister Kubayi said the IMC is concerned about “unauthorised identity searches of foreign nationals” by individuals impersonating Home Affairs officials.
“We have observed that there are still individuals who impersonate Home Affairs officials and target foreign nationals and some businesses for these illegal identity searches and sometimes extortion,” Kubayi said.
“We want to urge whoever is involved in this wrong practice to desist from it or face the might of the law.”
She confirmed that law enforcement acted swiftly in Polokwane, arresting about seven people involved in such acts and that the IMC has also asked the police to attend to other reported incidents.
Minister Kubayi issued a stern warning against groups that confront or resist lawful operations by authorities, citing a recent confrontation in Bellville where foreign nationals resisted law enforcement.
“We would like to issue a strong warning against those who undermine the work of our law enforcement officers or otherwise face the consequences,” she said.
On the death of an individual during an operation in Bellville, Minister Kubayi said the matter is being investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and the report will be made public.
The minister said migration management remains a rule-of-law matter and that to date, 354 cases of arrests and prosecutions related to migration contraventions have been registered, with an additional 69 people arrested in Jeffrey Bay last weekend.
She also provided an update on humanitarian support at the Musina Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre, including healthcare, food, water and child protection services, with assistance from NGOs, embassies and the business sector.
Minister Kubayi emphasised that while the government is firm on border security and law enforcement, it remains committed to human dignity and constitutional rights.
“The Five-Point Plan is not a short-term intervention. It is a coordinated national programme,” she said, adding that regular updates will be provided as implementation continues.
So far, nearly 200 000 Malawians, Zambians and Zimbabweans have left South Africa via Beitbridge Border Post since May 28 following an upsurge in anti-migrant protest and intimidation by vigilante groups across South Africa.
