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South Africa To Inspect Workplaces For Illegal Immigrants

Officials from the South African Ministry of Home Affairs say they would be conducting random searches at workplaces, to fish out illegal immigrants in the … Continue reading South Africa To Inspect Workplaces For Illegal Immigrants


sa-flagOfficials from the South African Ministry of Home Affairs say they would be conducting random searches at workplaces, to fish out illegal immigrants in the country.

Addressing parliament earlier on Thursday, the Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba, warned that firms would be penalised if they breached the law, and that employers should not fuel tensions by “playing locals against foreigners”.

His comments are coming as foreigners, mainly Nigerians have become the target of xenophobic attacks in the country, while many unemployed South Africans accused them of taking their jobs.

On Monday, 34 foreign-owned shops were looted in parts of Pretoria.

The Nigerian government has however condemned the attacks, and reached out to the African union to intervene.

The government on the other hand, has denied Nigerians were targets of the attacks, and has said that South Africans should not be portrayed as “mere xenophobes”.