Nhlamulo Sambo, 18, was killed in Mossel Bay.
Image: FACEBOOK
More than 400 Mozambicans have been evacuated from Mossel Bay in the past 48 hours after anti-immigration protests turned violent at the weekend, resulting in three deaths and the torching of 55 shacks.
Police confirmed the deaths of two Mozambican men, aged 27 and 43. The third victim, 18-year-old South African Nhlamulo Sambo, was found dead with multiple stab wounds outside a shack. His family fears he was mistakenly targeted as a foreign national because he spoke Xitsonga, one of South Africa's official languages.
Late on Tuesday night, police said detectives arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with Nhlamulo's killing. He will appear in court on Wednesday.
Violence erupted in the Asla Park informal settlement, KwaNonqaba, where a group allegedly set alight about 55 wood-and-iron structures, displacing several families.
The Mossel Bay Municipality has been coordinating with the Mozambican Consulate and has successfully evacuated over 400 people since Monday, with a further 100 foreign nationals still receiving assistance. Municipal spokesperson Sonja Carstens-Johnston confirmed that efforts were ongoing and that the nationalities of some of those being assisted had not yet been verified.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed five arrests in connection with public violence and possession of stolen property, with suspects appearing in court on Tuesday. Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile visited the area and urged citizens to protest within the confines of the law.
Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé called for calm, stressing: "Not all foreign nationals are illegal."
The anti-migrant group March and March, which has led protests against undocumented foreign nationals across the country, has threatened a national shutdown on June 30 if the government fails to respond to its demands. Reports have emerged of vigilante groups checking the documentation of foreign nationals and forcing small businesses run by non-South Africans to close. The action has no official backing and has been criticised by authorities.
The Mossel Bay unrest follows similar incidents nationally. Last month, Ghana repatriated 300 of its citizens, and several hundred foreign nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Somalia sought protection in Durban.
Western Cape Provincial Commissioner General Thembisile Patekile, was in Mossel Bay on Tuesday following violance that led to the killing of two Mozambican nationals
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
ANC MP Camron Dugmore called on the government to act decisively on border management, corruption within the Department of Home Affairs, and employers flouting labour and immigration laws. He said he had reported a company allegedly involved in the illegal recruitment of foreign nationals to the Department of Employment and Labour for investigation.
"While I understand the legitimate frustration of community members who believe government is failing to implement the law and act against employers who continue to violate immigration and labour legislation, we cannot take the law into our own hands," Dugmore said.
"Companies that flout our laws and employ undocumented foreign nationals, while exploiting them by paying below the minimum wage, must be condemned. They must be arrested and charged."
Speaking during the Presidency's Budget Vote in Parliament yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that illegal immigration places pressure on public services and undermines efforts to create decent work, but said the government was acting.
"As we work to build a safer, more stable and more prosperous society, we do need to address the challenge of migration. When it is well managed and regulated, migration can help to drive economic growth and opportunity for all. However, we need to deal with illegal migration."
"We have seen how illegal immigration into our country can put pressure on our public services and undermine our efforts to create decent work for all. As announced in the State of the Nation Address, the government is taking decisive action to address this challenge. We are cracking down on violations of immigration laws."
He said the government was increasing workplace inspections and prosecuting employers who violate 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, however, that every person in South Africa, whether they are citizens or foreign nationals, must respect our laws."
"They must also respect the rights of every person in our country, and our laws must be upheld. They must never give in to violence, to xenophobia and to vigilantism."
"As a society, we must stand against all forms of disinformation, of incitement, of false information being spread around, of racism and ethnic mobilisation."
"We will continue to strengthen and enforce our laws while upholding the Constitution of the Republic and also respecting the human dignity of all. This will enable us to deal with illegal immigration without turning against one another."