By Simon Nare
Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi on Monday blamed successive ANC-led governments for failing to manage South Africa’s immigration system, saying years of neglect had contributed to rising tensions over illegal migration.
His comments came a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a raft of measures aimed at tightening border controls and tackling illegal migration amid growing anti-foreigner protests and public anger over high unemployment.
Zibi, who was speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg, said frustration among South Africans over competition for jobs and public services was understandable but stressed that violence against foreign nationals could not be justified.
The party briefed journalists on developments relating to Parliament’s impeachment committee, the Johannesburg mayoral campaign, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Gauteng Government of Provincial Unity.
Zibi said South Africa’s immigration challenges had worsened over decades.
“It is clear that for decades we have had an evolving immigration crisis where government’s ability to manage and process immigration properly has been degrading over time,” he said.
He linked weak border controls to South Africa’s greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), saying porous borders created opportunities for organised crime and other illicit activities.
“You’ve got people setting up in South Africa to run criminal syndicates, to finance terrorism in other parts of the continent, and so on,” Zibi said.
He said effective border management was essential for national and regional security, adding that asylum applications should be processed efficiently to prevent people from remaining in the country unlawfully due to administrative backlogs.
“It also does not help when you’ve got corruption in the system. We need a systematic response to the immigration problem. When borders are not secure, you deport people and they are back the following week because the problem has not been solved systematically,” he said.
Zibi said South Africa’s immigration challenges stemmed largely from poor enforcement of existing laws rather than a lack of legislation.
Zibi also addressed other political issues facing the party, including Parliament’s impeachment committee and questions surrounding Rise Mzansi’s funding arrangements.
On issues relating to the Impeachment Committee that is being chaired by one of their own Makashule Gana, Zibi said the party had the full confidence in him and believed he was the right man for the job.
Gana told the briefing that the committee would hold its first meeting later this month and would announce its terms of reference after appointing evidence leaders and identifying witnesses.
Gana said he was aware of Ramaphosa’s legal challenge seeking to set aside the findings of an independent panel that concluded there was a case for the president to answer regarding his handling of the theft of foreign currency from his Phala Phala farm.
In court papers filed in the Western Cape High Court, Ramaphosa argued that the panel had applied the wrong legal test and failed to provide sufficient evidence that he had violated the law.
Gana said the committee would continue with its work unless a court ordered otherwise.
“Only a competent court can stop the committee from proceeding,” he said.
Ramaphosa has indicated that he may seek an interdict preventing the committee from continuing until the court has ruled on the legality of the panel’s report.
Zibi also dismissed speculation about the party’s funding arrangements, saying Rise Mzansi was among the few political parties that publicly disclosed their donors.
He said questions had been raised about the party’s relationship with We Are The People, an organisation that provided financial support to the party.
“We took legal advice before the election on the kind of fundraising methods and support that would be acceptable in terms of the Political Party Funding Act,” Zibi said.
“The Act does not prohibit such donations. It allows juristic persons to donate to political parties within the prescribed limits.”
He said Rise Mzansi had entered into a loan agreement with the organisation before the election and that the debt was subsequently written off in a manner that complied with the law.
“As a matter of principle, We Are The People is a juristic person that is permitted to donate within the limits of the Political Party Funding Act,” he said.
On the party’s electoral prospects, Zibi said Rise Mzansi had attracted support across racial and ethnic groups.
“We have support across all communities in South Africa,” he said.
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