CAPE TOWN – Police and security agencies are processing evidence relating to violence against foreign nationals, with arrests and prosecutions expected for those found to have broken the law, President Cyril Ramaphosa told Parliament on Tuesday.

The president was responding to a question from Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema in parliament yesterday, who raised concerns about attacks on African foreign nationals in South Africa.

Malema claimed that in some cases, people had committed violent acts in the presence of police officers without being arrested, creating the impression that the attacks were state-sanctioned. He questioned why those responsible had not been arrested and prosecuted.

Police following up on reports

Ramaphosa said the matter was being attended to and that authorities were gathering reports and evidence.

“The issue of the instigators of these violent actions that have been taken against people from other countries is a matter that is being processed. The police have informed us, and all security apparatus have informed us that they are following up on it. They are getting all the reports and evidence,” he said.

He added that several arrests had already been made, and that those seen to be leading the violence were of direct interest to the police.

Government concerned about violence

The president said government remained concerned about the actions taken against African nationals in the country.

“We have made it clear that those who violate the law, those who transgress various precepts of our laws, need to be dealt with,” Ramaphosa said.

Law-enforcement agencies would pursue cases involving violence, including incidents that had resulted in injury or death.

“In a number of cases, where, for instance, incidents of violence have even resulted in injury or death, we are going to be following all that up and ensuring indeed that those who have perpetrated those acts are followed up on,” he said.

Regional approach to migration

The president’s response came amid wider parliamentary questions on the impact of anti-migrant mobilisation on South Africa’s relations with other African countries.

Ramaphosa said South Africa’s approach was based on strengthening the state’s capacity to manage migration rather than allowing unlawful actions against foreign nationals.

He pointed to reforms aimed at strengthening border management, tackling corruption within the immigration system, improving legal migration pathways and implementing the White Paper on Citizenship, Migration and Refugee Protection.

The president said South Africa had been engaging with other African countries on migration through the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, arguing that the challenge could not be addressed through unilateral action or by targeting migrants.

At the recent 46th Ordinary SADC Summit hosted by South Africa in eThekwini, government placed migration on the agenda and briefed regional leaders on developments in the country.

The SADC Summit subsequently called for a coordinated and multidimensional regional dialogue to address the underlying drivers of migration and develop comprehensive, sustainable and effective responses.

Ramaphosa said this approach was necessary to ensure that migration was managed through lawful and humane means, while addressing the circumstances that cause people to leave their countries.

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