SOUTH AFRICA-POLITICS: KEEPING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OUT

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

CHRIS LOUW

PRETORIA, Dec 21 1994 (IPS) - THE ISSUE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA HAS BECOME THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION FOLLOWING RECENT ALLEGATIONS THAT POLICEMEN ARE ISSUING FALSE IDENTITY DOCUMENTS TO FOREIGNERS.

BECAUSE OF THE ASSISTANCE IT RECEIVED FROM NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES DURING THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID, THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC) HAS ALWAYS TAKEN A SOFT APPROACH TO PEOPLE STREAMING OVER THE BORDERS LOOKING FOR JOBS.

BUT PRESSURE FROM THE ELECTORATE, LOOKING TO THE ANC TO DELIVER ON ELECTION PROMISES, HAS FORCED THE RULING PARTY TO RECONSIDER ITS POLICY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS, BETWEEN 400 AND 500 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE ARRESTED IN JOHANNESBURG EVERY WEEK AND DEPORTED TO THEIR COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN.

LAST YEAR, 96,000 WERE DEPORTED TO 39 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, AT A COST TO SOUTH AFRICA OF ABOUT 1.2 MILLION DOLLARS.

A SYSTEM OF ‘GREEN CARDS’, SIMILAR TO THAT APPLYING IN THE UNITED STATES, IS NOW UNDER CONSIDERATION.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN CHAMBER OF HAWKERS AND INDEPENDENT BUSINESS (SACHIB) RECENTLY ALLEGED POLICEMEN WERE BEHIND A SYNDICATE PROVIDING FALSE IDENTITY DOCUMENTS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, DRAWING THE ATTENTION TO AN ISSUE THAT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONTROVERSIAL.

BLACK HAWKERS HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF RESISTING THE INFLUX OF FOREIGNERS, NOT ONLY FROM NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES BUT ALSO FROM THE FAR EAST, INCLUDING HONG KONG AND TAIWAN.

AN INCREASE IN CHINESE HAWKERS ON PAVEMENTS OF CITIES LIKE PRETORIA AND JOHANNESBURG HAVE BEEN NOTICEABLE IN RECENT YEARS.

AT ONE STAGE LAST YEAR, SACHIB MEMBERS THREATENED TO PHYSICALLY “REMOVE” THE CHINESE FROM THE PAVEMENTS, COMPLAINING THAT THEY RECEIVED THEIR WARES CHEAPER FROM THE FAR EAST TO FLOOD THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET.

THE CONFLICT WAS LATER RESOLVED, BUT SACHIB HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN ITS OPPOSITION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

THE NATIONAL ORGANISER OF SACHIB, MTHUTHUZELI MADALANI, CLAIMED TUESDAY 57 SOUTH AFRICAN IDENTITY DOCUMENTS MEANT FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE IN HIS POSSESSION.