Addressing the issue of illegal immigrants does not make one xenophobic

At the risk of being labelled xenophobic I’d like to address the issue of illegal immigrants in South Africa. Let me start by denouncing xenophobia as an ugly and evil practice which must be completely neutered and rooted out of society. The law must therefore be tough on those who perpetuate xenophobic acts which usually manifest themselves through violence.


The Oxford dictionary describes xenophobia as “unreasonable fear and dislike of strange or foreign people”. The explanation therefore begs the question, what actually causes this ‘unreasonable fear and dislike of foreigners in SA?”

The first reason I suggest, is illegal immigrants in the country. The porous nature of our borders particularly north of the Limpopo technically renders SA a borderless state. This is in part due to the absence of patrols by the army at the border posts like it used to be in the past. The easy access to the country does not bode well for safety and security of the South African citizenry. It is also a bad reflection on the country to the international community.

It was inspiring and reassuring to see the Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu inspecting the state of our border between SA and Zimbabwe. This was accompanied by an announcement that she will deploy soldiers henceforth to patrol there. This initiative will no doubt restore the country’s dignity and generate a positive image about SA from the international community.

Whilst there is no country in the world that doesn’t have foreigners, there is also no country in the world that allows free movement of illegal immigrants. So where did we go wrong as a country? Why are our borders so porous and easily accessible to those who want to enter the country illegally?

Corruption is another phenomenon that delivers illegal immigrants into the country. In the words of former President of Zambia, Dr Kenneth Kaunda who once said; “South Africa is sick and the ailment is apartheid”. Borrowing from his words, “SA is sick and the ailment is (corruption).”

Corrupt officials will undermine the effort of the Defence Department. The army’s effort will be futile if we still have officials who accept bribes in exchange for entry to the country. Sleaze must therefore be harshly dealt with. Clamping down on corruption may just be the panacea we need to stop illegal immigrants from flowing into the country.

Thousands of South Africans fled the country to live in exile during the dark days of apartheid. Thanks to the world for welcoming them and thanks particularly to our fellow African neighbours for their graciousness.

It would however be misleading to think that the former exiles were not regulated in those countries. In countries like Tanzania and Angola exiles were confined to camps. In Zambia for instance and other parts of the world, exiles stayed among communities but their presence was well known and they were documented.

Often when the issue of illegal immigrants is raised, some rush to conclude that South Africans are xenophobic and unkind towards their fellow Africans in particular. The basis of this assertion is that South Africans should return the favour dispensed to them during the days of apartheid. This is emotional blackmail because it suggests that we owe the world and that the only way to redeem ourselves is through leniency even to the point of compromising international best practice set to govern countries. SA must never succumb to this.

The SA government recently announced the withdrawal of the special dispensation offered to Zimbabweans for the past year. To that effect, the government calls on all Zimbabweans who are in the country illegally to come clean and cede all documents obtained fraudulently. This is commendable and it sets the country on the right path.

This call should however not be limited to Zimbabweans only. It must be extended to everyone who is in the country illegally. The other day I went home in Mamelodi and I was gobsmacked by the number of Pakistani nationals who trade and live there. It was a sight to be hold and I wondered if they were in the country legally. They too must be reined in including other Asians like the Chinese, Europeans and those who come from other African states.

Most South Africans know that it is unlawful to erect shacks anywhere they deem fit. This understanding is a reflection of their respect for the country’s by-laws. It is important to note that they are not coerced to do so. It is also not because people are afraid of the draconian laws reminiscent of the apartheid era laws. It is therefore important for the government to reinforce and support this mind set by curbing those who do the opposite.

The Pretoria East scenario is a case in point where illegal immigrants have occupied land illegally for years. This occupation does not only expose the squatters to a health hazard, but it also exposes those who live in the surrounding areas to danger.

The absence of infrastructure like clean water, sanitation and electricity means that the occupants of this land access these illegally. They intercept pipes meant to supply rate payers with water and electricity. They relieve themselves out in the field and so forth. The situation is untenable.

More interestingly is the fact that these illegal immigrants who come from different countries are themselves xenophobic towards each other. The Basotho for instance won’t share space with Zimbabweans and vice versa. Zimbabweans are confined to an area next to the cemetery on the other side of the road. It is an irony that these two groups do not see eye to eye in a foreign country which they both entered into illegally. But this is also a sad reflection of how much the government has lost control over this issue.

Recently Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) successfully represented the Zimbabwean squatters who were removed by the police from the area due to construction work in progress there. Whilst this is commendable, it is sad because the people remain in the squalid conditions they lived under before the removals. It would be more helpful if (LHR) made sure that these people entered the country legally and lived under better conditions once they enter the country.

The service delivery protests which we saw in the recent past is in part due to the overload in the health, social and education sectors caused by illegal immigrants. This will make locals to turn on them due to frustration and territorialism. In other instances they can be used as an excuse for criminality disguised as xenophobia as we have seen in the past.

Anecdotal evidence shows that there are simmering tensions and anger particularly from poor areas towards illegal immigrants. This is mainly because they believe that illegal immigrants and/or foreigners take their jobs and so forth. They also accuse them of settling for less for a minimum wage making it impossible for locals to be employed because they demand the prescribed minimum wage in accordance with the labour laws.

If these festering tensions are not adequately addressed, we might see another round of xenophobic attacks towards foreigners.

As a country we should always strive for order and for the upholding of the law. Order brings with it cleanliness, crime control and crime reduction, respect for property and so forth. This would however be impossible if people keep flowing into the country illegally. That is why the government should hunt down all illegal immigrants and depot them to their respective countries.

Does that sound xenophobic to you? It sounds patriotic to me!