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UDM deputy president and MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa has defended calls for strict enforcement of the country’s immigration laws, saying concerns about illegal immigration emanate from economic pressures rather than race.
Speaking during the Presidency budget vote debate in parliament on Tuesday, Kwankwa said South Africa’s relatively developed economy continued to attract migrants seeking economic opportunities, including those who enter or stay in the country illegally.
“We stand with South Africans who are calling for the lawful enforcement of our immigration laws,” he said.
Kwankwa said it was unreasonable to expect any country to ignore illegal or undocumented migration and criticised what he described as attempts to silence concerns about the issue.
Addressing claims that undocumented white foreigners are not subjected to the same scrutiny as other migrants, Kwankwa said the debate was primarily driven by economic competition in poor communities.
“If they [white undocumented foreigners] were competing for jobs in Gugulethu, Mdantsane, Khayelitsha, KwaMashu and Soweto, if they were concentrated in township economies, petrol stations, restaurants and informal businesses, if they were directly competing for opportunities and limited resources that millions of poor South Africans rely on, they too would be part of this debate.”
Kwankwa argued the issue was “not primarily about race” but rather about unemployment, economic opportunity and competition for scarce resources.
He criticised what he called a selective interpretation of pan-Africanism, saying South Africans are often expected to bear the consequences of governance failures elsewhere on the continent.
Kwankwa questioned where pan-African solidarity was when South Africa faced criticism during its G20 presidency and when 14 South African soldiers died while deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Too often solidarity is demanded from South Africa but barely reciprocated,” he said.
Despite his criticism of illegal immigration, Kwankwa said the UDM rejects violence and intimidation against foreigners.
“We therefore support the enforcement of South Africa’s immigration laws. At the same time we reject violence, intimidation and attacks against foreign nationals. The rule of law must prevail,” he said.
His comments come amid recently growing tensions over illegal immigration, with anti-foreigner protests spreading in parts of the country and several African governments raising concerns about attacks on their citizens. While the government has condemned violence and vigilantism, it has acknowledged concerns about illegal immigration and border control.
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