WATCH | ‘I’ll never support this nonsense’- Mashaba on Malema’s call for open borders

Action SA leader Herman Mashaba is standing firm in his stance on immigration, saying he will never support the EFF’s vision of a United States of Africa. 

Mashaba on Wednesday shared a video of Julius Malema calling on the government to reopen borders at the height of the pandemic, to allow immigrants from the continent entry into SA.

The press briefing from which the clip was taken is from January this year, when international travel was restricted with limited land borders open. 

“Let the borders be open. And if the gates are not going to be open for Sadc (Southern African Development Community), fellow Sadc people, please find a creative way, this is your home,” said Malema.

Mashaba blamed the government for its “failure” to control the borders and make sure foreign nationals who enter SA have the necessary documents. He rubbished claims he is xenophobic, saying it’s lawlessness he is against.

“I will never support this nonsense of open borders! As Action SA, we want the people of the world to come to SA, but they must come here legally, and when here, they must respect our laws.

“The enemy in SA is not foreigners. The enemy is anyone who so brazenly disrespects the rule of law, including this government and its poor attempts at immigration control,” he said.

Mashaba added that poor citizens and foreign nationals fall victim to crime resulting from poor border control. Foreign nationals with legal documentation, skills and investment are welcome, but they must not enter the country illegally and with nothing to contribute at the expense of locals.

During the launch of the party’s election manifesto last month, Mashaba said his party, if elected into power, would establish units at the municipal level to address the crisis of undocumented citizens and assist eligible undocumented foreign nationals who are victims of failures of the department of home affairs.

“We cannot remain unresponsive in local government. It is for this reason that ActionSA will establish a dedicated unit within the metro police departments to process any undocumented foreign nationals arrested for a crime,” he said.