Government has rejected claims that it spent R600 million to confront South Africans during Tuesday’s nationwide anti-illegal immigration protests.
Government insisted the security deployment was solely aimed at maintaining law and order and preventing a repeat of July 2021 violent unrest.
The assurance came on Tuesday evening as the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration briefed the media following demonstrations held across the country on 30 June, where thousands of South Africans marched over concerns relating to illegal immigration.
Inter-Ministerial Committee chairperson and Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamaloko Kubayi dismissed suggestions that government had mobilised security resources against citizens.
“Government is not fighting South Africans,” Kubayi said.
“South Africans say government is putting up millions to fight them. There is no government that is fighting South Africans. Government did not put up R600 million to attack South Africans.”
Her remarks follow last week’s announcement by acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia that about R600 million, ordinarily allocated to police stations and community policing initiatives, would instead be redirected towards security operations linked to the 30 June demonstrations amid heightened tensions over illegal immigration.
Kubayi said government has a constitutional responsibility to maintain law and order at all times and insisted the deployment was intended to protect communities.
“The instruction was that July 2021 must not happen again. The aim was to protect you,” she said.
Kubayi thanked South Africans who participated peacefully in Tuesday’s demonstrations, saying government appreciated citizens who exercised their constitutional right to protest responsibly.
She commended community leaders, protest organisers, civil society organisations, religious leaders and law enforcement agencies for their commitment to peace, restraint and respect for the rule of law.
“Whilst policing operations have been effective thus far, with demonstrations remaining largely peaceful across the country, police have responded to isolated incidents of looting and attempted looting,” Kubayi said.
“Those who chose to exploit the marches to commit criminal acts will face the full might of the law. Police will continue to identify, arrest and prosecute all those responsible for criminal conduct.”
She said the largely peaceful demonstrations reflected the strength of South Africa’s constitutional democracy, allowing citizens to express their concerns while respecting the rights and dignity of others.
Kubayi acknowledged that many South Africans have genuine concerns over unemployment, irregular migration, border management, service delivery and public safety.
“These concerns deserve to be heard and addressed systematically through lawful and democratic processes,” she said.
Government also welcomed what it described as the overwhelming rejection of violence, vigilantism, intimidation, looting and damage to property by most protesters.
“Such actions have no place in a constitutional democracy and undermine the goals of safety and economic prosperity that communities seek to achieve,” Kubayi said.
She reiterated government’s commitment to implementing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s five-point Comprehensive Approach for Migration Management, which focuses on strengthening immigration and labour law enforcement, securing borders, improving migration systems, closing legislative gaps and working with other African countries to address migration challenges.
Kubayi said government continued to make progress in deporting and repatriating undocumented foreign nationals.
“To date, the latest statistics indicate that we have successfully repatriated 4 286 foreign nationals and deported a further 419 in the past few days,” she said.
She added that government would continue intensifying efforts against criminality, corruption, human trafficking, labour exploitation and all forms of illegality associated with irregular migration while ensuring enforcement remained within the Constitution and the law.
Despite threats by some anti-illegal immigration activists to continue staging demonstrations, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said government was not worried.
Ntshavheni said demonstrations had become a regular occurrence and government had consistently ensured they were conducted safely while putting in place the necessary interventions to maintain public order.
“We are not worried because there have been demonstrations almost every day and government has been ensuring those demonstrations are safe and that there are necessary interventions,” she said.
Government called on South Africans to remain calm, reject misinformation and xenophobia, and continue working with authorities to build safe and cohesive communities while migration continues to be managed through lawful, coordinated and constitutional measures.
