Authorities in Johannesburg have cautioned South Africans about harbouring illegal immigrants, stating that such actions make them accomplices to a crime.

The warning comes after the arrest of 867 individuals believed to be illegal miners in Kleinzee, Northern Cape. Provincial Police Commissioner Koliswa Otola revealed that the majority of those arrested were foreigners suspected of unlawfully entering the country. Said Otola:

As a word of caution to all South Africans that are harbouring illegal immigrants in their houses, we know the illegal immigrants don’t come here with houses, so they are harboured by South Africans.

Those South Africans who are harbouring illegal immigrants, we are coming for them because they are causing a problem for us.

South African authorities have been actively seeking to deport illegal immigrants, attributing them to various issues such as increased crime, economic strain, and burden on the struggling healthcare system. Local residents also hold foreign nationals responsible for the escalating unemployment rate, claiming that they occupy jobs intended for locals.

Among the foreign nationals residing in South Africa, Zimbabweans form a significant portion, approximately three million. They arrived in large numbers after the economic collapse and political instability in their home country at the turn of the millennium. Any changes in South Africa’s immigration policy are likely to affect the large settlement of hundreds of thousands.

Analysts predict that such measures will also have a significant negative impact on the economy since foreign nationals have been a key contributor to the country’s growth over the past two decades. They often provide cheap labour compared to locals.

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