'Call back the spies'

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has called on the government to rehire spies to gather intelligence on the illegal foreigners coming through the country's porous borders.

The Zulu monarch said the spies could also help to supply security agencies with information on the high levels of crime in the country.

Delivering a keynote address during a meeting with Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba and traditional leaders at Enyokeni Palace in Nongoma on Friday, Zwelithini said there was nothing wrong with the spies.

"Resuscitate the spies. There was nothing wrong with spies, but they must work together with the police. There is something wrong with our security," he said.

The king said he was concerned about the influx of illegal foreigners into the country and urged the government to tighten the laws to deal with this.

"The truth is that our borders are not properly secured."

Zwelithini said he did not want to talk about the remarks he made in Pongola last March for which he was accused of inciting xenophobic violence. He had said foreigners "should pack their bags and go".

Last month, the SAHuman Rights Commission found that his comments did not constitute hate speech, and though they were hurtful and harmful, there was no causal link between them and the xenophobia.

"I do not want to go back to what I said in Pongola and during my publicimbizo at the Moses Mabhida Stadium," he said.

But he reiterated his call made during the imbizo last May that traditional leaders were available to assist the government to ensure foreigners had the documents to be in the country legally.

He said foreigners who wanted to settle on land controlled by traditional authorities in his jurisdiction should also be introduced to him in the company of the ambassadors of their countries.

"Once the foreigners are introduced to you, there should be a way of bringing them to the royal palace. They should be accompanied by ambassadors from their countries," he said.

On Friday, Zwelithini said the traditional leaders could assist the government "not because we are fighting with foreigners, but because I want things to be right".

He also warned that rampant corruption was hindering progress in the country, and said he was also worried about the economy.

He said it was shocking that South Africa's economy was now the third-largest in Africa after the International Monetary Fund announced the country now trailed Nigeria and Egypt.