'Foreigners crippling SA's economy'

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba and City of Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba and City of Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba

Published Dec 14, 2016

Share

Johannesburg - Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba has reiterated that the media misinterpreted the recent statement he made about illegal

foreigners.

Mashaba was in Pretoria on Tuesday where he had a discussion with Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba about the matter and later addressed the media alongside him.

The DA mayor was criticised after he publicly called for illegal immigrants to leave Joburg.

But Mashaba said he didn’t regret calling on the national government and the international community to act in propelling immigrants to enter South Africa legally.

“Foreigner or not, we must respect the rule of law; South Africa will only survive when people respect the law,” he said.

Mashaba said illegal foreigners perpetuated the soaring rate of unemployment and crippled the country’s economy.

He said there was an influx of uncontrollable immigrants in Joburg, hence he called upon the national government to intervene. “We need border management strategies to control this problem.”

He said the city had no resources to address the problem, and it was for that reason that he called on the national government to intervene.

He also stressed that hijacked buildings, largely occupied by illegal foreigners, caused a lot of problems as criminals used them as hideouts.

Mashaba said there were 15 000 illegal immigrants in Joburg's inner city. “These are the ones we know of, and they live in hijacked buildings.”

He said the number was staggering and grew worse every year.

Mashaba said Joburg was facing challenges including a high rate of crime, and drug and substance abuse. He called on the private sector to help address these matters.

Gigaba thanked Mashaba for seeking assistance from the national government as this matter was a national problem.

“This problem affects all the cities in the country. We are pleased that you have identified the problems and sought help from the national government,” he said.

Gigaba said they would have a broader meeting next year to look at the issues of national border control strategies.

“It will take us time to establish the border management authority as we have to take into account the issues of strategies and collaboration with other stakeholders.

“However, I am emphasising that the overwhelming majority of immigrants in the country are legal and they contribute largely to the growth of this economy,” he added.

Gigaba also emphasised ubuntu and said immigrants contributed and strengthened the diversity and social cohesion of the country.

The Star

Related Topics: