Johannesburg - The African National Congress has condemned a "clear and deliberate attempt to incite lawlessness" by the Economic Freedom Fighters.
The ANC had noted with concern the remarks made by EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi around the documentation of foreign nationals in South Africa, ANC national spokesman Pule Mabe said in a statement on Sunday.
Speaking at the funeral on Saturday of 13-year-old Enock Mpianzi, who drowned during a Parktown Boy’s High School orientation camp in the North West last month, Ndlozi reportedly said that foreign nationals in South Africa should not be asked for documentation to prove their immigration status.
"The ANC condemns in the strongest terms this clear and deliberate attempt to incite lawlessness, which is damaging both to the cause of social cohesion and to government’s efforts to drive immigration reform and clamp down on illegal migration," Mabe said.
South Africa was a signatory to all international conventions around the status of refugees, and since 1994 had steadfastly upheld its responsibilities in this regard. At the same time, government had maintained that all foreign nationals wanting to live in South Africa had to be documented. This was common practice in every country in the world.
"The ANC reaffirms its position that border control is the right and preserve of any sovereign country, and that undocumented and illegal migration should be discouraged and dealt with within the ambit of the law.
"The utterances by EFF’s national spokesperson were reckless and irresponsible, and appear to encourage foreign nationals to break the law. At a time when tensions still persist between citizens and foreign nationals, this is likely to further inflame public opinion," he said.
The ANC regarded Ndlozi’s regrettable utterances as sheer opportunism and exploitation of Mpianzi’s funeral for political mileage.
"There is time for everything. There is a time for political grandstanding. And there is a time for mourning. There is a time for electioneering. And there is a time for compassion. There is a time for populist speeches, and there is a time for words of comfort. The stage set for young Mpianzi’s funeral was a time for mourning and to convey our collective sympathies," Mabe said.