Approximately 90% of foreign nationals currently housed in temporary facilities across the Overstrand are undocumented.
Municipal manager, dr Dean O’Neill, announced this during an Integrated Comman Centre (ICC) briefing this morning. Aauthorities found that the most of the foreign nationals currently being housed in temporary facilities in Stanford, Gansbaai and Kleinmond are undocumented.
Local homeowners have raised questions regarding the options available for their foreign national workers should they be forced to leave their homes over the weekend. O’Neill has advised and reminded the homeowners and businesses – particularly those in Hermanus – that employing undocumented foreign nationals will have legal consequences.
“Under Section 38 of the Immigration Act, it is illegal to employ an undocumented foreigner or anyone whose immigration status does not permit employment,” said O’Neill. “Employers have a legal duty to make a good-faith effort to verify the citizenship or immigration status of all employees.”
He added: “In terms of Section 49(3) of the Act, anyone who knowingly employs an undocumented foreign national commits an offence and may face a fine or imprisonment of up to one year for a first offence [and] it is expected that the Department of Home Affairs will follow up with the employers of any undocumented foreigners, following the management of the current situation.”
Meanwhile, the number of those who are seeking shelter in the different temporary housing premises is decreasing although it remains relatively stable. One of the people accommodated at the premises is a pregnant woman from Kleinmond who was taken to hospital yesterday where she gave birth. Emergency and health services are at the different premises and continue to monitor the sanitation and living conditions and a mobile clinic was arranged for the individuals who left their homes without their belongings.
Also, language barriers continue to present challenges as most of the foreign nationals are predominantly of Malawian and Mozambican decent.
“However, concerns are rising that future unrest could affect nationals from Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Somalia in a ‘second wave’ as they have not made use of our facilities,” O’Neill said.
He added that local authorities have expressed concern over the limited involvement of foreign governments and embassies in assisting with the repatriation of their citizens. “The process remains costly, as undocumented foreign nationals must be escorted to Zimbabwean and Mozambican borders, while repatriation to Malawi involves significantly higher transport and logistical costs.”
Social media users have been divided with some welcoming their deportation while others call for unity and peace.
One user commented: “This is sad. These are human beings with kids and families.” While another user commented: “If they were hear legally and didn’t do all kind of nonsense in our country, we wouldn’t have a problem with them. ‘Illegal occupants’. If other countries want them, take them. We don’t want them. Call it what you want.”
The Head of Immigration and Law Enforcement for the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Operations at the Border Management Authority, Stephen van Neel, claimed that the current situation across the country is being used by various groups to advance their political agendas ahead of the local elections in November.
“[Van Neel] noted that there are approximately 600 immigration officers deployed across the country and that enforcement operations therefore depend heavily on cooperation between law enforcement agencies and other government structures,” said O’Neill.
“The government’s position remains clear: individuals who are in South Africa illegally are required to leave the country or be repatriated through the appropriate legal processes,” he said. “We anticipate a challenging month ahead as South Africans demand the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals in the country, giving them a deadline of 30 June to leave the country.”
