Seal our borders and keep illegals out: Mashaba's challenge to Home Affairs

Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has called on the Department of Home Affairs to seal the country’s borders and ensure that no one comes into the country illegally.

He said this in a march by the DA to Gauteng Premier David Makhura’s office in Central Johannesburg on Tuesday morning in solidarity with Life Esidimeni patients.

“We face a crisis of our residents in the city centre‚ be it Alexandra‚ Rossetenville or anywhere else. At the same time we face a crisis with our foreign nationals‚ we need a resolution to this‚” he said.

“The Minister of Home Affairs wants to punch this country into chaos. We need to ensure that when people come to Johannesburg‚ they come legally and they respect the laws of this country.

“I had a meeting with the Africa Diaspora team and I will work with them to ensure that we hold the minister accountable to ensure that our borders are closed. Our people ought to be given documentation because we cannot live in a city and be able to provide services when people do not have documentation.”

The Department of Home Affairs hit back on Tuesday‚ saying the mayor had not responded to requests for his input on amendments to migration bills under consideration in Parliament.

The department said he should not use the lives of people as a public relations exercise.

The spat comes as the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs deliberates on the Refugees Amendment Bill and the consideration and approval of amendments to the Border Management Authority Bill.

Mashaba accused the department of not addressing the underlying cause of xenophobia. — TMG Digital