Almost 60 000 undocumented foreigners arrested
Law enforcement agencies have arrested nearly 60 000 undocumented foreigners since the beginning of the year as the government steps up operations targeting illegal immigration and other crimes, reports TimesLIVE.
Speaking at a National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) media briefing on Friday, officials said the 59 947 undocumented foreigners had been arrested between January and the end of July during Operation Shanela and other multidisciplinary operations.
Of those, 16 208 were arrested in July alone.
Natjoints said the operations were part of the government’s broader efforts to enforce immigration laws while tackling organised crime, illegal firearms, drugs and wanted suspects.
The briefing comes just more than a month after nationwide demonstrations on 30 June, many of which were linked to calls for tougher action against illegal immigration.
Natjoints said the country remained stable after those protests and that anti-illegal immigration demonstrations had declined significantly.
The government also provided an update on deportations, saying 77 184 undocumented foreigners had been repatriated to their home countries by 3 August 2026.
Between 1 April and 31 July, 18 816 people were formally deported, while 3 016 undocumented foreigners were at the Lindela Repatriation Centre awaiting deportation.
Just over 500 people are still at the facility and are expected to be repatriated in the coming days. More than 6 300 labour inspectors are conducting workplace inspections to identify labour law violations, illegal employment and undocumented workers.
Authorities are also continuing inspections at spaza shops to ensure businesses comply with municipal bylaws, food safety regulations, licensing requirements and immigration legislation where applicable, according to TimesLIVE.
Among the cases under investigation are the fatal shooting of a Zambian truck driver in KZN, the murder of a Ugandan national in Estcourt, the killing of a Ghanaian in Nyanga and the death of a Nigerian while in police custody in Bellville.
Officials stressed these incidents were not linked to anti-illegal immigration operations.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
