By Charmaine Ndlela
A Nigerian national, who is the husband of the Deputy Executive Mayor of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, has been taken in for questioning after police allegedly discovered 28 undocumented foreign nationals at a guesthouse in Bloemfontein.
The arrest happened during a nationwide anti-illegal immigration protest on Monday, as hundreds of demonstrators marched through the Bloemfontein CBD to the Free State Premier’s Office to hand over a memorandum of demands calling for stricter border security and stronger action against undocumented immigrants and drug-related crime.
Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae confirmed that 28 foreign nationals, including Ethiopian and Nigerian nationals, were found during a law enforcement operation at the guesthouse. Speaking to reporters on the ground, she said the owner of the establishment, a Nigerian national and the husband of a senior Mangaung municipal politician, was taken into custody.
Police have not yet announced formal charges against the suspect, and investigations into the guesthouse, the undocumented foreign nationals and documents recovered during the operation are continuing.
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The law enforcement operation formed part of heightened security measures implemented ahead of the planned nationwide demonstrations.
Authorities also confirmed that several undocumented foreign nationals were arrested during separate operations conducted across Mangaung.
Meanwhile, protesters from the March and March movement made their way through the Bloemfontein CBD before gathering outside the Office of the Premier, where they submitted a memorandum outlining their demands.
The group said government had been given sufficient time to address concerns previously raised and was now expected to account for progress made.
Among their key demands were stronger border management, action against undocumented immigrants allegedly involved in criminal activities, and intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking.
“Our borders must be safe. Our children must be safe from substance abuse. People must come into our country legally,” one protester said.
Another protester said illegal immigration remained the movement’s primary concern, alleging that some undocumented foreign nationals were involved in drug dealing and operating businesses unlawfully.
Most businesses in the Bloemfontein CBD remained closed as a precaution while the march was underway.
Despite the heightened tensions, authorities reported no incidents of violence and maintained a strong security presence throughout the demonstration.
The arrests come as anti-illegal immigration protests are taking place in several parts of the country, with organisers insisting that Monday’s demonstrations are only the beginning and that further action will continue until government responds to their demands.
