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The Citizen reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent a stern warning to South African employers who hire illegal immigrants, saying they could face jail time.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session in Parliament on Thursday, Ramaphosa pointed out that the Immigration Act prohibited anyone from employing illegal foreigners who were not documented. He warned that provisions in the Act deemed such employment as an offence punishable through prison, a fine or both. “I want to state it very clearly that employers who continue to employ people who are not documented are committing an offence. And we are going to make sure that those employers stop what they are doing,” the President stated.
Ramaphosa was responding to IFP MP Nhlanhla Hadebe’s question about interventions to curb SA’s illegal immigration crisis and to secure the borders. Hadebe said South Africans were unhappy about employers hiring illegal immigrants because they were cheap labour. The President acknowledged that illegal immigration placed “a great deal of strain” on SA’s social services and undermined national security. However, he cautioned against acts of vigilantism, as they did not solve the problem and undermined the rule of law. Ramaphosa also reported that more than 51,000 illegal immigrants were deported in the past financial year.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lesego Seokwang at The Citizen
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