Pretoria - About 300 foreign nationals and business owners without valid immigration documents and business permits have been arrested in an operation across the city.
The operation was conducted by the Department of Home Affairs, SAPS, Tshwane Metro Police and the SA Revenue Services (Sars).
The officers and officials arrived unannounced at locations in Sunnyside, the CBD and Marabastad.
People found not to have valid documents were arrested and taken to the nearest police station.
At one stage the cells at the Sunnyside police station were full, so those arrested were held at the Moot police station.
Others arrested were business owners operating ventures without the required documents from the SA Revenue Service, while some were employing people who were not in the country legally.
Most were arrested during the operation in Sunnyside, and were found at the many hair salons and grocery stores lining Robert Sobukwe (Esselen) Street.
Home Affairs’ head of law enforcement for immigration services, advocate Amanda Ledwaba, said the operation was aimed at ensuring that people respected the immigration and tax laws.
“When somebody operates a business they have to be registered with Sars so they can pay tax like everybody else. If not, it means they are not abiding by the country’s laws,” Ledwaba said.
“This is the same [for] foreign nationals who reside in South Africa. They have to apply for valid documents so that they are in the country legally.
“If they do not have valid documents they have to be detained. Arrangements are made with their relevant embassies for them to be deported to their country of origin.”
Ledwaba said the status of those arrested would be verified in 48 hours, after which arrangements would be made with the embassies.
“Those found to have presented fraudulent documents will be charged under the country’s laws. If convicted, they will be deported only after having served their sentences,” Ledwaba said.
The police cluster commander for Pretoria Central, General Tommy Mthombeni, said Home Affairs officials had been included in the operation as their department oversaw immigration.
In their stop and search operations, the police had found many people who had drugs in their possession, he said.
Asked whether police were winning the fight to curb drugs and illegal immigrants in Sunnyside, Mthombeni said achieving this was not up to the police alone.
“It is not about whether the police are winning or not, but about whether we are consistent with the other stakeholders in continuing with these operations,” Mthombeni said.
“This is not a once-off operation. It is part of a bigger integrated strategy where we collaborate with stakeholders like Home Affairs to make sure people are not breaking any laws.
“If you are running a business, you need to have the proper documentation.
“If you are living in South Africa and you come from a different country, you need to make sure your documentation is valid.”
The raids On Thursday follow an operation on Tuesday in Marabastad, where metro police destroyed structures that had been built illegally on council-owned land. - Pretoria News