South Africa Condemns Vigilantism Against Foreign Nationals

Lamola said every sovereign country has the right to enforce its immigration laws, though this must take place in an orderly and lawful manner.

South Africa has rejected incidents of private citizens targeting foreign nationals and says police have made arrests in cases involving intimidation, robbery and looting linked to anti-migrant actions. International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola addressed the issue after meeting German Foreign Minister Dr Johann Wadephul in Pretoria on Thursday. His comments followed concerns raised by Ghana and African Union Chairperson President John Mahama.

Migration concerns discussed with Ghana

Lamola said he travelled to Ghana earlier this week as President Cyril Ramaphosa's special envoy, where both countries agreed that migration-related tensions should not damage their bilateral relationship. South Africa and Ghana share a strong relationship, he said, while acknowledging that the concerns raised relate to how irregular migration is being handled.

Lamola said every sovereign country has the right to enforce its immigration laws, though this must take place in an orderly and lawful manner. He stressed that South Africa's concern is irregular migration rather than migration itself.

Government rejects self-help actions

The Minister said Ghana and the African Union had raised concerns about reports of people taking action against foreign nationals themselves. He said the South African government does not support vigilantism and believes cases involving immigration status must be handled humanely through the appropriate legal processes. Law enforcement agencies have been urged to arrest people who intimidate, assault, rob or otherwise target foreign nationals while claiming to enforce immigration rules.

Police action already under way

Lamola said authorities have acted against alleged perpetrators in several incidents. In Limpopo, five people were arrested after a Nigerian business owner was allegedly threatened and ordered to close his business and leave South Africa, despite Home Affairs confirming that his documents were valid. Two suspects were also arrested for allegedly robbing a Zimbabwean national while impersonating Home Affairs officials.

In Jeffreys Bay, 69 people were arrested following the looting of 23 shops, although 60 were later released on warning. Four people were arrested in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, after spaza shops were looted.

Enforcement belongs to lawful authorities

Lamola said immigration enforcement must be left to authorised institutions, including the Department of Home Affairs, the South African Police Service, labour inspectors, Home Affairs immigration officers and the Border Management Authority.

He said action against irregular migration cannot be used as a reason for private citizens to threaten or target people. The government's position is that law enforcement should uphold immigration laws while protecting public safety and the rights of all people.