JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Africa is stepping up efforts to curb illegal migration, including strengthening border security, tightening controls on traffic register numbers (TRNs), and advancing plans to reserve certain economic sectors for citizens, officials said Tuesday.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, made the remarks at a media briefing in Pretoria.
Kubayi said that while 90,000 repatriations had been carried out in recent months, illegal migration had not been deterred. Between April and June, 4,200 undocumented foreign nationals were intercepted while attempting to enter the country illegally.
Kubayi said the Borderline Infrastructure Improvement Plan (2026-2030), aimed at strengthening and modernizing South Africa's border infrastructure, had been approved by the Cabinet. It would improve border security, including patrol mobility, operational response times, personnel safety, infrastructure maintenance, intergovernmental coordination and the prevention of illegal cross-border incursions.
On the TRN system, Kubayi said the Department of Transport had moved to cancel and verify dormant TRNs issued between Jan. 1, 2000, and June 30, 2023.
The move followed revelations in Parliament in June that the system had been compromised by foreign nationals using fraudulent documents. Some of the TRNs were subsequently used as substitutes for visas and to open bank accounts.
The government is also advancing plans to reserve certain businesses, especially spaza shops, for South African citizens. Kubayi said 34 municipalities have adopted the Standard Draft By-laws for Township and Rural Economies, while 105 have adopted them through council resolutions and 21 are in the process of adoption.
"These operations demonstrate the government's zero-tolerance approach to criminality, irrespective of nationality, while ensuring that all enforcement actions are undertaken within the framework of the law and with respect for human rights," Kubayi said.
