The Secretary General of the ANC, Mr. Fikile Mbalula, opposes the call of the leader of the March and March, Mrs. Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, to hold protests every Thursday until all the illegal immigrants leave and the efforts of the Prime Minister of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr. Thami Ntuli, to deal with the issue of the influx of illegal immigrants.
Mbalula said that he does not agree with the call made by Jacinta during a large protest in Durban, on Tuesday, for the protests to continue because not all the immigrants who are in the country illegally have left.
Mbalula also stated that he is not in favor of conferences on immigration which are called by Ntuli.
He said this while talking to the media in Johannesburg yesterday.
Mbalula said the issue of illegal immigrants now requires government agencies to take action.
“I do not agree that there were discussions to deliberate on this issue. I often see the Prime Minister of KwaZulu-Natal calling for talks here. What is needed is for the government to take action. There is no need for us to have protests every Thursday. What we need is for the law enforcement agencies to take action.”
Mbalula said the government should wake up, and said that the leaders of neighboring countries should not fold their hands.
“I agree that the government should not take a long time to deal with the issue of border leakage. Foreigners who are in the country illegally should not be allowed to open businesses. Local shops have collapsed due to the increase in immigrant shops. Immigrants are less expensive, which is why local shops are falling. Local people have even been forced to give their shops to immigrants. Some immigrants commit crimes. This should not be a problem for South Africa alone. Other countries should also play their part.”
Mbalula said they are not against the protests but complained that some of the leaders of the protests have political intentions.
“Phakela (Nkosikhona Ndabandaba) stood up and said that the IFP should be given a chance in Johannesburg. He said this at a protest against immigration. Many people who are part of the protests are worried about the influx of illegal immigrants but there are people who have political goals. The ANC is criticized for these protests. They did not even want to give the Mayor of Durban (Mr. Cyril Xaba) a chance to speak during the protest.”
Mbalula also defended the R600 million used by the security agencies during the protests.
Mbalula said the security agencies should have strengthened security to avoid what happened with the riots of July 2021.
“The police did not step up in 2021. About 400 people died in the riots. We will never see those people again. That is why the police should have monitored the situation,” he said.