International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Minister Ronald Lamola has reiterated government’s position that attacks against foreign nationals are unlawful and cannot be tolerated.
Lamola was speaking on the sidelines of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat currently underway at Skukuza in Kruger National Park, where migration has emerged as one of the key issues under discussion.
The Minister said several regional counterparts had raised concerns regarding the safety of their citizens in South Africa following recent demonstrations linked to illegal migration and growing frustration around undocumented foreign nationals.
“I am engaging with my counterparts. I also know that my counterpart from Ghana was also here. Still, some of the SADC foreign ministers have raised the issue with me, particularly Malawi, who were affected mostly by their citizens,” Lamola said.
He stressed that government remained firmly opposed to any attacks targeting foreign nationals.
“We continued to assure them that as a South African government, we will condemn any form of attack against foreign nationals. It is in terms of our law, only the police can enforce the law,” he said.
Lamola said while South Africa continues to face challenges relating to irregular migration, only authorised law enforcement agencies are mandated to enforce immigration laws.
“We do have a challenge of illegal migration, illegal documented or undocumented foreign nationals in the country that we need to address, and we need as a government to build capability to respond to that, to be able to know who is in the country, what they are doing, where they are, and also when they've committed a crime. They must be arrested, whether it's a foreign national or is a South African,” he said.
The Minister said migration would form part of broader discussions at the retreat, particularly as SADC pushes for deeper regional integration and economic cooperation.
“One of the thematic areas is migration, because regional integration will not happen if there is no ease of movement of people and no ease of movement of goods,” he said.
Lamola added that successful regional integration depended on cooperation between member states, stable borders and respect for the rule of law.
He also acknowledged the role African countries played in supporting South Africa’s liberation struggle, while emphasising the need to uphold law and order.
“We also understand, as South Africa, that the continent has a claim in us, in terms of them having supported us to fight against apartheid, to fight for freedom, but it does not mean that there must be lawlessness in our country. There must be order. There must be respect for the rule of law, and that should be enforced by the police,” Lamola said.
The SADC retreat is expected to focus on strategic priorities, including infrastructure development, industrialisation, trade, energy security, food systems, transport and logistics, debt management, and the free movement of people, goods and services across the region. – SAnews.gov.za
