KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli addresses concerns over undocumented immigration at a summit in Durban.
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KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli says police should arrest those making statements that incite violence in the province, amid concerns over undocumented immigrants.
Ntuli was speaking at the summit on undocumented foreign nationals held in Durban on Thursday.
“Police must arrest people who are making statements that are inciting violence in the province. I will be working with Major General (Phumelele) Makoba.
Ntuli said he did not want people in the province of KwaZulu-Natal to communicate messages that are going to cause fear.
“We can never go back to 2021 in this province,” said Ntuli
Ntuli shared that they have engaged with civic organisations and committee formations, which have been vocal on the issue of undocumented migration. He said they recognise that sustainable solutions cannot be achieved by engaging only those with whom there is agreement.
Ntuli said they met with representatives of organisations that have organised public demonstrations and advocacy campaigns on the issue. These include March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Phakel’umthakathi of Insizwa Nobunsizwa.
“During these discussions, the organisations expressed their concerns regarding undocumented migration and its impact on communities,” Ntuli said.
“Equally important, they reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that their forthcoming activities and public mobilisation planned for June 30 are conducted peacefully, lawfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. They assured us that their actions are intended to raise awareness and advance their concerns through local democratic means and not through acts of violence, intimidation, or vigilantism. At this stage, I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of these commitments,” Ntuli said.
KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli says he will be working with acting provincial police commissioner Major General Phumelele Makoba.
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The premier said the KZN government maintains its position that “all undocumented foreign nationals must leave the province and go back to their countries, and so tell the issue of documentation.”
“But at the same time, I’m calling upon our leaders of the civic organisations to be responsible in what they say because what happens going forward must not communicate a message of KwaZulu-Natal that is anti other sister African countries.”
He urged that the organisations must never communicate xenophobia, afrophobia and hatred.
“And I’m also calling upon the foreign nationals who are here in the country. They must respect the authorities of our country.”
The premier said the challenge is not rejecting fellow Africans or foreign nationals, but how to manage migration in a manner that is lawful, humane, orderly, and sustainable, while protecting the rights, security and socio-economic interests of all who live within our borders.
“The summit provides us with an opportunity to move beyond slogans, stereotypes, and political posturing. It calls upon us to engage honestly with the realities before us, to distinguish between legitimate concerns about undocumented foreign nationals or migration and prejudice against foreign nationals. And to develop solutions that uphold both human dignity and the rule of law,” Ntuli explained.
“We must also be candid that no country can successfully manage undocumented migration through rhetoric, anger, or political grandstanding. Durable solutions require effective border management, improved civil restoration systems, stronger cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination, the sharing of intelligence and data, and sustained effort to address the root causes that compel people to leave their homes.”
The summit in Durban serves as a platform for addressing the challenges of undocumented migration and fostering community cohesion.
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Moreover, equally so, is ensuring that migration systems are efficient, lawful and capable of distribution between the refugees, asylum seekers, documented migrants, and those who enter or remain in the country unlawfully.
“The task before us, therefore, is not to choose between compassion and the rule of law. It is to uphold both. A realistic and sustainable response to undocumented migration must be encouraged in international obligations, regional protocols, and effective domestic governance,” Ntuli said.
“In doing so, we can protect the integrity of our borders, preserve social cohesion, and reaffirm our commitment to the values that have long defined South Africa as a democratic and responsible nation among the community of nations.”
Department of Home Affairs chief director Sihle Mthiyane said that about 1.2 million people applied for asylum since 1998: 90,000 are active, about 800,000 are inactive, and 320,000 are closed/finalised.
“We don’t have a refugee problem. The problem that we have is the abuse of the refugee laws that we have in this country,” Mthiyane said.