RUSTENBURG - A man was arrested for possession of counterfeit goods at a roadblock manned by police minister Bheki Cele on Thursday.
Cele was at the N4 Rustenburg roadblock as part of festive season operations.
The Ethiopian national at first resisted arrest, arguing that he had been in South Africa for 13 years and had asylum documents valid for three months.
"We do not have rights here in South Africa. I have been an asylum seeker for three months," he said.
Cele, flanked by North West Community Safety MEC Sello Lehari, called on the police to apprehend the man.
"Take him in," said Cele.
Police minister Bheki Cele was part of a festive season roadblock in Rustenburg on Thursday. Video: ANA.
The man was found with bags full of fake sneakers and did not have the documentation allowing him to be in the country legally.
Cele said 34 illegal firearms had been recovered by the Rustenburg cluster and arrests were made.
"Undocumented people seem to be the problem wherever we go. [On Wednesday] we had a lot of them in Mpumalanga and Limpopo and now [in North West]," he said.
The roadblocks started in October and will continue to the end of the festive season.
The minister did a walkabout in Marikana where he interacted with community members, and also visited Wonderkop.
At the Waterfall mall in Rustenburg, Cele was greeted by ululating shoppers who pushed through crowds to take cellphone photos of the minister.