ANC declares war on illegal immigration in Gauteng: ‘They cannot walk around comfortably'
ANC Gauteng Coordinator, Hope Papo, and the Provincial Task Team (PTT) announced the outcomes of the two-day Provincial Lekgotla held on 3–4 May 2025 at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways.
The ANC in Gauteng has declared war on illegal immigration, stating that illegal foreigners cannot be comfortable in the country without the right to be here.
Speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, ANC Gauteng coordinator Hope Papo said the recent provincial Lekgotla resolved that illegal immigration and its impact on labour laws and public services can no longer be ignored.
'This is a violation of labour laws, violation of immigration act. The Lekgotla said that's a very serious matter we must take up as part of our work…. They cannot walk around comfortably without proper documentation,' he said.
Papo said it cannot be business as usual that lawlessness and illegal immigration are tolerated in Gauteng.
He urged the government to take decisive steps against the matter.
'So it's a combination of what government does, but it's also what citizens do to assist in dealing with the problem of illegal immigration. It has to be a joint effort so that citizens who participate in abetting illegal immigration must also understand that they're doing a disservice to the country.
'Because you cannot come in public and say illegal immigration is a problem when you've got an illegal employee in your home employed when you've got a tenant in your home renting, and then you say that illegal immigration is a problem,' he said.
Papo clarified that is not on foreigners they were targeting but their illegal entry into the country.
Supporting his sentiments, ANC co-convener, Panyaza Lesufi, said they have started with the process of reclaiming hijacked buildings across the province but more especially in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).
Gauteng residents continue to suffer from persistent service delivery failures, including limited water supply, overflowing sewage, uncollected waste, and rolling power outages—symptoms of crumbling infrastructure and unchecked corruption at the municipal level.
Despite these challenges having plagued communities for years, little meaningful change has been seen.
The ANC's renewed stance signals a potential turning point, with illegal immigration, failing infrastructure, and lawlessness now squarely in the crosshairs.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
8 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Political parties bemoan inadequate protection for whistleblowers
CAPE TOWN - Political parties have bemoaned the inadequate protection for whistleblowers and the failure to reform the laws that will improve this. During an African National Congress (ANC) sponsored debate calling for guaranteed anonymity, job security and legal support for whistleblowers, every speaker referenced the assassination of Babita Deokaran, who was killed outside her house in 2021 for blowing the whistle on corruption at Tembisa Hospital. Parliamentarians said that despite a raft of laws dealing with whistleblowing, they have given rise to a culture of fear among whistleblowers who are punished rather than protected. Parliamentarians have added pressure on the Justice Department to speed up the process of improving its treatment of whistleblowers. The Protected Disclosure Act and Whistleblowing Act are currently under review by the department. The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Glynnis Breytenbach is calling for the establishment of an independent whistleblower protection agency with prosecutorial referral powers. 'A dedicated, well-funded, autonomous institution must be created to receive disclosures, provide safe channels, investigate threats and offer physical protection.' Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi said employers should be prohibited from disciplining officials who make protected disclosures, and should refund them the cost of litigation if an employee wins the case. 'We must similarly make it impossible for those people to be dismissed until the matter has been closed.' Members of Parliament (MPs) are also calling for an incentive fund that will encourage people to come forward to lift the lid on corruption. ALSO READ: Freedom Under Law echoes calls for protection of investigators, whistleblowers in high-profile cases
TimesLIVE
11 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
GNU ministers spent R200m of taxpayers' money on travelling since taking office
Ministers in the government of national unity (GNU) have spent more than R200m on travel expenses since July last year. This was revealed by ActionSA through its GNU performance tracker after receiving replies to parliamentary questions sent to ministers. This week, the party said Deputy President Paul Mashatile and his staff splurged more than R2m on travel expenses for transport and accommodation since last year. In a written reply, Mashatile said he has been on four international trips - to Ireland, Botswana, Zimbabwe and, recently, Japan. A total of R613,214 was spent on flights, R1,235,569 on accommodation and R410,926 for ground transport for all trips. Other costs included laundry services at R8,033 and R51,393 for restaurant services. ActionSA MP Alan Beesley criticised the spending, calling it 'executive indulgence' and 'wasteful expenditure'. 'This sort of wasteful expenditure, an extension of ANC excess now rebranded under the GNU, has become business as usual for the world's most bloated executive,' Beesley said. 'South Africans deserve leadership that puts people before perks and not a R200m travel spree by the world's largest cabinet.' The sport, arts and culture department's travel expenses have also raised concern. Minister Gayton McKenzie said he and his staff undertook 11 international trips costing more than R2m. R164,556 was paid for a trip to Burkina Faso that never took place. 'Not only is this spending exorbitant, but it is riddled with red flags, gaps and inconsistencies. The public paid for flights and accommodation for an event that was abandoned, a textbook case of wasteful expenditure, as defined by the Public Finance Management Act. 'Unless the minister can demonstrate that this loss was unavoidable and efforts were made to recover the funds, this reflects a serious failure of financial oversight and internal control.' ActionSA has introduced the Enhanced Cut Cabinet Perks Bill to address unchecked government spending. 'This bill seeks to slash ministerial perks and restore much-needed fiscal discipline.'
TimesLIVE
13 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
DA says Joburg mayor's 'Bomb Squad' a ploy to help ANC cadres
The DA says it will scrutinise the appointments and work of the City of Johannesburg's 'Bomb Squad' — a unit the metro says will assist in halting crime, combating lawlessness and unlocking service delivery. On Thursday, mayor Dada Morero announced the members of the squad, which will be led by ANC veteran Snuki Zikalala. The 12-member team will operate for the next two years. However, DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku questioned the constitutionality of establishing the team. She said Morero's initiative was just 'a ploy to help out ANC cadres who have fallen on hard times'. 'It is unclear what the purpose of this squad is and whether it is part of a comprehensive plan to turn service delivery around in Johannesburg,' she said. Kayser-Echeozonjoku said Morero would have to account to the council on which sections of the Municipal Structures Act made provision for what she said were 'seemingly unconstitutional deployees'.
