About 200 immigrants were evicted from Vleifontein and nearby villages on Sunday. They were taken to the Louis Trichardt showgrounds. Photos: Thembi Siaga
SAPS appears to be assisting residents in rounding up and evicting immigrants around Louis Trichardt.
On Sunday, residents of Vleifontein and the nearby villages of Maila and Kanana identified 200 people and handed them to the police.
By law, only law enforcement officers may ask people for immigration or citizenship documents.
“I was staying at a church with my three children when a group of people came, kicked open the door to our room and told us we had to leave,” said Suzen Mashakada, from Zimbabwe.
“We were then taken in a police van. We had to wait while they went from house to house collecting other immigrants, before bringing us to the [Louis Trichardt] showgrounds. We were hungry, and the only food we were given was apples.”
At the showgrounds they were processed by Home Affairs and then taken to Musina, a town 20km from the Beitbridge border. There they will be joining thousands of other immigrants who are awaiting repatriation.
The campaign to round up immigrants was organised by Denzel Ncube, a resident of Vleifontein. He claimed the intention was to deal with illegal immigration humanely and to prevent attacks on foreign-owned businesses, particularly Somali-owned shops.
He claimed some immigrants voluntarily handed themselves over after learning they would be repatriated.
“We are ensuring their safety and that their rights are not violated. Even though they are in the country illegally, they are still human beings and should be treated with dignity,” he said.
He said the campaign would continue in other villages with the assistance of the police.
Ncube claimed that immigrants were given time to collect their belongings, but Mashakada disputed this.
“I am heartbroken that I was not given an opportunity to collect our belongings, including my children’s clothes. We only have the clothes we are wearing,” she said.
Mashakada came to South Africa in 2023. She gave birth to her youngest child after arriving in the country. Her passport expired about two years ago, and she said she could not afford to renew it.
“The last time I renewed it, it cost me R4,000. I was working as a domestic worker,” she said.
Mashakada said her children, who are in grades R, 4, and 6, attended school in Maila village.
“The deadline was too short. At least they should have given us until December to sort out our documents,” she said.
Mwiedward Abudu, from Malawi, said he worked as a builder in Johannesburg, but moved to Vleifontein last month after hearing that immigrants were no longer welcome. He was told to leave.
“I do not have money to go home, so I was told there is free transport to the Musina Temporary Repatriation Centre. I no longer feel safe in South Africa. All I want is to return home and start a new life,” he told GroundUp at the showgrounds.
SAPS had not responded to our questions at the time of publication.
A man is processed for repatriation at the Louis Trichardt showgrounds.
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Thembi Siaga
groundup.org.za
