President Cyril Ramaphosa is addressing the nation on immigration issues.
Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Media
President Cyril Ramaphosa is addressing the nation at 6pm this evening, where he will announce the government's new plan for managing the migration crisis, the Presidency has confirmed.
Ramaphosa is outlining the government's management approach to illegal migration and the recent surge in protests against foreign nationals. The address is taking place at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Follow his address to the nation in the live blog below:
On Friday, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni dismissed claims that South Africa will face a nationwide “shutdown” linked to ongoing anti-illegal immigration protests ahead of the June 30 deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country. She said Cabinet has already approved a comprehensive migration management approach developed by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, alongside the National Action Plan (NAP), which outlines the government’s official response to migration challenges.
Ntshavheni confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa will soon address the nation on the issue, adding that further details of government’s strategy will be communicated at that stage. She stressed that while citizens have the constitutional right to protest, no group will be allowed to take the law into its own hands or disrupt the country through unlawful shutdowns.
Her remarks come amid rising anti-immigrant tensions and protests in parts of the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, some of which have been linked to the controversial group March and March. The group has called for undocumented migrants to leave the country by the end of June, despite repeated calls from government for calm. Reports also indicate that some foreign nationals have already begun leaving South Africa due to fears of violence.
Ntshavheni also noted that the government will not disclose operational details of its response, saying this could interfere with ongoing law enforcement work. She added that coordination on migration management has been under way for some time across various government structures, including the justice cluster, and that officials will be available to brief the media after the president’s address.
Meanwhile, security authorities, including Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane and Natjoints, have warned against unlawful behaviour linked to the protests, stressing that only the state is empowered to enforce immigration laws. The warning follows incidents of unrest tied to anti-immigrant sentiment, while earlier reports noted that hundreds of Ghanaian nationals have voluntarily returned home amid growing regional concern about safety and migration pressures.