Zuko Komisa

- Over 40,000 illegal foreign nationals have been arrested in South Africa since January 2026, including 7,400 in the past month.
- The arrests follow President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new five-point migration strategy to tighten border security and enforce immigration laws.
- Multidisciplinary raids have also targeted businesses, resulting in the arrest of employers hiring undocumented workers.
The South African government has intensified its border security and immigration enforcement, arresting more than 40,000 illegal foreign nationals since the start of 2026. Over 7,400 of these arrests occurred within the last month.
The figures were announced by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration, led by Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.
The IMC is executing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s five-point strategy, which focuses on reinforcing borders, tackling immigration corruption, and refining legislation.
To curb illegal entries, the Border Management Authority (BMA) has deployed drones and body cameras, and set up checkpoints on key routes to major borders like Beitbridge.
Recent successes include intercepting nine Bangladeshi nationals with fraudulent visas at OR Tambo International Airport and seizing a 1 billion Rand batch of narcotics precursors at Beitbridge.
Law enforcement has also targeted businesses exploiting undocumented labour. Recent joint raids in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape led to the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants and several business owners.
Additionally, 143 people were arrested for inciting violence.
Speaking on the operations, Minister Kubayi emphasised the state’s firm stance:
“This is a demonstration that government is not turning a blind eye to illegal immigration and we are intensifying our efforts to bring it under control.”
The government plans to continue these multidisciplinary raids while collaborating with neighbouring African nations to establish a cohesive regional response to migration.
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