By Johnathan Paoli
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation on Sunday evening on the government’s approach to migration and the recent surge in protests against undocumented foreign nationals, amid growing tensions over immigration enforcement and concerns about xenophobic violence.
The address, scheduled for 6 pm from the Union Buildings in Pretoria, comes after weeks of demonstrations in several parts of the country, with some groups demanding stronger action against illegal immigration and calling on undocumented migrants to leave South Africa.
The government has repeatedly condemned any acts of violence directed at foreign nationals and has urged South Africans to address concerns about immigration through lawful, peaceful and constitutional means.
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Ramaphosa’s anticipated address follows remarks he made earlier this week, indicating that South Africa would soon dispatch envoys across Africa and other parts of the world to explain measures the government has put in place to manage migration and address related challenges.
African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said he was confident that Ramaphosa would provide clarity on the government’s response to the challenges posed by illegal immigration while safeguarding constitutional principles.
Speaking on the sidelines of an ANC volunteers programme in KwaZulu-Natal, Mbalula acknowledged that some concerns raised by South Africans were legitimate but cautioned against unlawful action.
“In this particular instance, the government must formulate a comprehensive legal response to undermine illegal mobilisation and that will lead to vigilantism and our country to be flagged as xenophobic. South Africa is not xenophobic and that we will contest and the government must respond to that. What we are against is when people organise themselves in groups and take the law into their own hands and call for shutdown,” he said.
Mbalula urged South Africans to remain calm while the government develops measures to address migration-related concerns.
On Sunday morning, a second group of Ghanaian nationals who voluntarily accepted an offer from their government to return home departed from OR Tambo International Airport.
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The repatriation process forms part of broader cooperative efforts between the South African government and foreign missions to assist nationals who wish to return to their countries safely.
The departure of the second group underscores growing anxiety among some migrant communities as uncertainty surrounding planned anti-immigration protests continues.
The developments come after similar evacuations and repatriation initiatives involving citizens from countries including Ghana and Malawi.
