JOHANNESBURG, June 14– South Africa has stepped up immigration enforcement across all ports of entry including land, sea and air borders, an official said on Sunday.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi said intelligence-driven operations were continuing to target people staying in the country illegally, including those employed in workplaces.
The briefing followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national address last week, in which he announced measures to address illegal migration amid rising public concern and protests in several cities.
The measures include labor law reforms, tighter border controls and efforts to curb corruption in the immigration system. Kubayi said scores of undocumented migrants and their employers had been arrested over the past week, while more than 40,000 undocumented immigrants had been arrested since the start of 2026.
She said the government was also working to improve border-line infrastructure and related services, including access to health care, social services and education.
Kubayi said the re-establishment of a court at the Lindela Repatriation Centre would help expedite deportations, describing the matter as urgent. She said repatriations of foreign nationals were continuing, including those from Malawi, Ghana and Nigeria.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation is engaging with foreign governments, both in Africa and beyond, to explain the measures being taken by South Africa, Kubayi said.
The government is also coordinating with foreign counterparts to ensure orderly repatriations while continuing efforts to strengthen border security, she said.
Kubayi called on all undocumented and illegal immigrants currently within South Africa’s borders to immediately comply with the country’s laws, saying authorities were working with several countries that were voluntarily repatriating their citizens to their countries of origin.
“The South African government will not tolerate the circumvention of our immigration systems and laws. We also call upon employers to refrain from transgressing immigration and labor laws,” she added. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
