South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that anyone trying to disrupt the country on June 30 will face the law, as tensions build around an anti-foreigner deadline pushed by anti-illegal-immigration groups.
Speaking from Parliament in Cape Town on Thursday, Ramaphosa moved to calm fears over the date, saying the state was preparing to keep daily life running.
“As people are saying, all manner of things will happen. We are taking measures to ensure that the 30th becomes a normal day where people will be able to work and go about their business. Our security forces are ready,” he said.
“Those who transgress the measures that we are putting in place will definitely meet the might of the law,” he added.
He added that immigration laws must be enforced by the state, not private groups or individuals, noting that South Africa could not deal with migration on its own, and would aim to work with SADC, the African Union and other countries to tackle the pressures forcing people to leave their homes.
“We have made it clear that every person within our borders must be here lawfully. We have also said that responsibility for enforcing our laws rests with the state and the state alone, and that no individual may stop any person to demand documentation or proof of identity or nationality,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa also rejected claims that illegal immigration is the root cause of South Africa’s deeper problems, including unemployment, poverty, crime and pressure on public services.
The June 30 deadline is an unofficial ultimatum from anti-immigration groups like March and March, demanding that undocumented foreigners leave South Africa. The government has dismissed the ultimatum as unlawful, but threats of a national shutdown on that day have triggered intense security concerns.
Source: Viory
