WeeklySA_AdminRESOURCES: With unemployment-rate running at 33.2 percent, the country has the continent’s most industrialised economy and sees a constant influx of job seekers from neighbouring countries…
By Ana Monteiro and Francine Lacqua
South Africa is pushing to deport more undocumented migrants who compete with citizens for jobs in an economy with one of the highest unemployment rates globally, the minister overseeing the program said.
The nation “is a neglected part of the global migration story, with the contestation between foreigners and locals for positions becoming “a real tinderbox,” Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said in an interview on Bloomberg Television Friday. “We’ve deported 51 000 people in the last year — that’s more than France and Germany combined. If we had more resources, we’d be doing more of that.”
South Africa has the continent’s most industrialised economy and sees a constant influx of job seekers from neighbouring countries, including Zimbabwe and Mozambique. But with the unemployment rate running at 33.2%, tensions between locals and foreigners run high. About 8.4 million people are eligible to work yet don’t have jobs.
In 2008, about 60 people died and 50 000 were displaced in a wave of xenophobic violence, with foreigners blamed for everything from unemployment to poor government services.
There were similar riots in 2015 and again in 2019, when President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to apologize to other African nations who were appalled by the treatment of their citizens. Local media recently reported on incidents of foreigners being chased away from health clinics by angry residents.
South Africa is managing the situation responsibly, said Schreiber, who is a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-biggest member of the country’s 10-party governing coalition.
“We’re anchoring what we do in the rule of law to make sure that we also protect social cohesion, even as we enhance our enforcement operations,” he said.
A so-called government of national unity was formed in June last year, when the ruling African National Congress failed to secure a parliamentary majority in a national vote for the first time since apartheid ended in 1994. The ANC and DA have since clashed repeatedly over policy and appointments, raising doubts over whether the alliance will remain intact.
“We’re in a better space now than we were initially,” Schreiber said, adding that disputes “are quite normal in any society with a coalition government.”
The coalition succeeded in navigating a budget impasse and with a new fiscal cycle about to begin, Schreiber said he’s hopeful any differences can be resolved in a “less public and destructive way.”
“If we can succeed in that, I think that builds another layer of confidence that we actually are working pretty well together,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 2024/2025 festive season marked a turning point in the Border Management Authority’s quest to improve the operations of South Africa’s ports-of-entry.
Following the long lead time involved in setting up a new institution, the agency reported in January this year that the 2024 festive season presented it with the biggest test to-date of its ability to act as the single command-and-control structure to improve the management of all border crossings.
In previous years, festive season operations were characterised by fragmentation, lack of coordination, and the inability to adjust quickly to changing circumstances on the ground.
The past festive season saw the agency applying a far more integrated, coordinated and nimble approach to border management than ever before.
In addition, the piloting of new technologies like drones and body cameras have demonstrated the power of digital transformation to secure and enhance border management.
It is now time for the BMA to permanently acquire these capabilities, as we accelerate our work to digitalise South Africa’s port environment, including by automating all entry and exit procedures.
In 2023/24, 15 924 undocumented persons who tried to come into our country illegally were intercepted. In 2024/2025, this number increased to 50 312. Another 6 159 people were detected for overstaying, and a further 1 923 were refused entry due to fraudulent documentation or non-compliance with entry requirements, the agency reported.
The agency’s border guards, in collaboration with the South African Police Service, made a further 322 arrests, including of 132 wanted criminals, and seized illicit goods that included R690 million worth of illegal cigarettes. – Bloomberg/Fullview/SAnews.gov.za
MIRROR Briefs
FORMER MP JAILED 20 YEARS
Former Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs , Manyaba Rubben Mohlaloga, was ordered to report to the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court last week to commence serving his 20-year imprisonment sentence handed down on February 14, 2019.
This followed one of the landmark cases investigated by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit, which was registered in Brooklyn in October 2012.
Investigations revealed that during February 2008, a grant of R6 million was irregularly paid to an entity on the verbal instruction of the then CEO of the Land Bank, without following the requisite approval procedures.
Mohlaloga was subsequently found guilty on one count of fraud and one count of money laundering, resulting in his sentencing on February 14, 2019. The court imposed 15 years’ imprisonment on each count, with 10 years of the money laundering sentence ordered to run concurrently, resulting in an effective 20-year term.
He lodged appeals with both the Pretoria High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal, which were unsuccessful. Mohlaloga filed an urgent application for bail extension, pending an intended application for leave to appeal to the Constitutional Court. The bail extension application was dismissed in the Pretoria High Court on September 16, 2025. On October 13, 2025, the court refused the application for bail and ordered that Mohlaloga surrender himself for incarceration. – Sanews.
3 ALLEGED KIDNAPPERS KILLED
Three alleged kidnappers were shot and killed during a confrontation with the police in Parktown, Johannesburg, on Friday afternoon.
National SAPS spokersperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the deceased kidnapped a Chinese national in June 2025 and tried to abduct another businessman in Gauteng last week.
“They were reportedly on their way to commit a robbery when Saps intercepted them,” said Mathe.
Police have launched further investigations into the kidnapping syndicate believed to be operating in the province.
Deputy Commissioner, General Fred Kekana said law enforcement officials noticed a suspicious vehicle and tried to stop it. The suspects opened fire on the police and the police fired back in defence fatally wounding the three suspects.
Kekana said one of the suspects was linked to a 2023 cash-in-transit heist.
“On the 6th of April 2023, in Sebokeng, nine suspects were fatally wounded and two were arrested, and through those two arrested, that is what led us to know who the other suspect is who managed to escape.”
An investigation was underway to determine the authenticity of the vehicle’s registration and whether it was were stolen.
Kekana confirmed that two firearms found in the car were confiscated. – Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA TIGHTENS TIES WITH VIETNAM
President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded his successful two-day state visit to Vietnam which opened opportunities for both sides to review bilateral cooperation to boost economic, trade and investment ties.
This is the first visit to Vietnam by a South African head of state in nearly 20 years, marking a historic milestone that is expected to further advance the Vietnam–South Africa relationship in a deeper and more substantive manner.
During the visit, Ramaphosa laid wreaths in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs in Hanoi.
Vietnam and South Africa officially established diplomatic relations on December 22, 1993, though their cooperation dates back to the 1960s. Over the past three decades, ties have grown steadily across all channels.
In terms of economic cooperation, South Africa remains Vietnam’s top trade and export partner in Africa, with bilateral trade turnover increasing from 192 million US dollars in 2007 to 1.72 billion US dollars in 2024. Both sides see considerable potential for expanding collaboration in new and green energy, climate finance, digital trade, banking, science and technology, innovation, and tourism.
President Luong Cuong hosted the state-level welcome ceremony, a private meeting, official talks, and a joint press briefing with his South African counterpart. – Lehlohonolo Lehana.
CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT TB
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has officially launched a groundbreaking national tuberculosis (TB) campaign, emphasising the disease’s silent yet deadly impact.
The Minister presented the near-live, TB public-facing dashboard at the Health Laboratory Service Head Office in Johannesburg, describing it as a symbol of the department’s strong commitment to using digital innovation to enhance health equity. “It is an investment in the power of data to save lives. Our political will to end TB is very strong and unwavering,” he said.
The TB dashboard was part of collaborative efforts between the Department of Health, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). Its aim is to reduce TB incidence and mortality in South Africa by 2035.
The country had a high burden of TB, but remained on track to meet the End TB goals. The dashboard would play a significant role in tracking the country’s progress towards the End TB campaign’s ambitious goal of testing five million people.
The Minister also touched on the impact of historical gold mining on TB rates, with gold mines producing significant silica dust. “Today, we are paying the price for that gold because of the amount of TB that was produced in the gold mines.” – SAnews
