President Cyril Ramaphosa delivering his budget vote speech to the National Assembly on Tuesday.

• President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned xenophobia and illegal immigration, emphasising the role of regulated migration in growth during the Presidency’s budget address.
• He outlined measures like stricter border security, workplace inspections, and closing immigration law loopholes to tackle illegal migration.
• ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli amplified Ramaphosa’s message, and PA chief whip Marlon Daniels saluted him for taking this stance.

President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke out strongly against xenophobia and illegal immigration when he tabled the Presidency’s budget to the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon.

“As we work to build a safer, more stable and more prosperous society, we need to address the challenge of migration,” Ramaphosa said.

He said that well-managed, regulated migration can drive growth and create opportunities for South Africans.

“However, we need to deal with illegal migration. We have seen how illegal immigration can put pressure on our public services and undermine our efforts to create decent work.”

Recent weeks have seen an upwelling of protest action, and in some cases violence, against foreign nationals or South Africans mistaken for foreign nationals. Groups like March and March have been organising many of the actions and promised mass action by 30 June if the issue isn’t addressed according to their demands.

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Ramaphosa said the government is taking “decisive action” to address illegal immigration.

“We are cracking down on violations of immigration laws.

“We are increasing our inspections of workplaces and prosecuting employers who violate our labour laws. We are strengthening border security, stamping out corruption in the immigration system and closing the loopholes in fragmented immigration laws.

“We must be clear: every person in South Africa – whether they are citizens or foreign nationals – must respect our laws, and the rights of every person in our country must be upheld.”

Ramaphosa said:

He said as a society, South Africa must stand against all forms of disinformation, incitement, racism and ethnic mobilisation.

“We will strengthen and enforce our laws, while upholding the Constitution and the human dignity of all. This will enable us to deal with illegal immigration without turning against one another.”

Ramaphosa’s message was amplified by ANC chief whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli, who said: “We reject xenophobia.”

“We reject the demonisation of African migrants.”

Ntuli said no one should be attacked.

“We must never confuse criminality with nationality.”

READ | Anti-immigrant violence explodes in Western Cape

However, Ntuli said Pan-Africanism doesn’t mean other countries are without obligations to their citizens in South Africa.

The populist Patriotic Alliance (PA) has a strong stance against illegal immigration. Its chief whip, Marlon Daniels, said they are “extremely grateful” that Ramaphosa is dealing with the issue.

“The issue must never be foreigners,” he said, adding that tourists are welcome. He said all countries enforce border control, so there is nothing wrong with the PA saying “abahambe” to undocumented migrants.

The debate continued into Tuesday evening.