SIYABONGA SITHOLE
Johannesburg - The president of African Transformation Movement (ATM) and MP Vuyo Zungula has called for the enforcement of tighter border controls to fight illegal immigration and related crimes.
Zungula was speaking during a recent parliamentary session on illegal mining and immigration.
He said illegal mining was being enabled by the country’s porous borders and poor cross-border control, adding that it was politicians, syndicates, the police and mining companies that benefit from illegal mining activities at the expense of the country’s sovereignty.
"As long as illegal mining is there, innocent communities will always be terrorised. The Minerals and Energy Department must go after the syndicates that enable and drive illegal mining. The ministers, politicians, police and mining companies and all involved in illegal mining must be exposed and face the full might of the law. The reality is that the majority of illegal miners are not South African. The guns seized do not belong in South Africa and the explosives used are smuggled from neighbouring countries. Therefore, illegal mining and other crimes are enabled by porous borders and poor management of immigration in the country,“ he said.
Zungula, who has been at the forefront to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa accountable, also said illegal mining and cash-in-transit heists were the result of the influx of illegal immigrants into the country through porous points of entry. He said the country’s leadership needed to show that they have the interests of the country’s citizens at heart.
“It is the failures of government to manage immigration that has contributed to this crisis. The government must be a caring government and listen to the cries of its citizens and deal with the immigration crisis.
“The government must have empathy for its people and not ignore their suffering and be overly concerned about the suffering of other countries,” he said.
Zungula said the government must declare illegal immigration a national crisis and take necessary steps to address it. For that to happen, he said the army and the special task force must be deployed to guard the borders as well as to hot spots and communities affected by illegal mining.
“All criminals must be flushed out of our communities. South Africa can’t be a preferred destination for criminals. People can’t leave their countries and come to South Africa and violate our immigration laws, sell drugs, issue fake citizenship documents, force young women into prostitution, traffic women and children, illegally mine, hijack cars and buildings and commit cash-in-transit heists. This madness must come to an end,” he said.
Zungula said the only solution to the crisis brought by illegal immigration and mining was the application of law and order.
The Star