Overview
- On Sunday President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a national address unveiling a five‑pillar migration strategy that he said will intensify enforcement, strengthen border controls, root out corruption in Home Affairs, overhaul laws and step up cooperation with other African states.
- The package includes concrete steps such as dedicated immigration courts to speed deportations, a phased relocation of refugee reception centres to border posts, plans for biometric population registration, and the phased recruitment of 10,000 labour inspectors to target employers who hire undocumented workers.
- Government agencies cited recent operational numbers in the speech, saying the Border Management Authority intercepted about 450,000 irregular entry attempts in the past year and confirming a coordinated repatriation of 933 Mozambican nationals via the Lebombo port.
- Anti‑immigrant groups led by March and March rejected the plan and kept a June 30 ultimatum in place while some political parties and unions gave mixed responses, leaving the risk of further vigilante action and local shutdowns active.
- Analysts and rights groups warned the state may lack the staffing, funding and prosecution capacity to deliver the promises and cautioned that rushed enforcement risks rights abuses, while neighbouring governments have already organised evacuations and repatriations for displaced citizens.