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Members of March and March protest against illegal immigration.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has urged South Africans not to take the law into their own hands and work with law enforcement in dealing with undocumented immigrants.
This comes as protests intensify, with growing calls for action against illegal immigration.
Several marches have taken place in various cities around the country this month alone, demanding government action.
DIRCO Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri says: “Citizens are entitled to raise concerns about any issue and illegal immigration is a legitimate issue that we are all concerned about. Where we draw the line is where we do not differentiate between illegal immigration, and immigration in general and also where people decide that looking at you in the street, you are a foreigner, therefore come and account to me – tell me where you’re from and how you got into the country. We think that where people have suspicions of any type of illegality, we should be working with law enforcement quite closely, to address that situation as it manifests itself.”
Meanwhile, The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has expressed concern over the upsurge of protests against illegal immigration that have taken place across the country.
SACC General Secretary Reverend Mzwandile Molo says that corruption has exacerbated the problem.
“At the center of our challenge as a nation is the issue of poverty. Too many of our people are living without hope. Too many of our people are living excluded in the dividends of freedom. Too many of our people are living without the idea that tomorrow can be better and when that happens, we look for explanations of why we are living like that, and therefore the other person, the migrant, becomes the answer to that. In managing the migration issue, corruption has almost made it impossible for normal migration and immigration to take place, without those in power exploiting it.”
