The African National Congress (ANC) has called on South Africans not to take the law into their own hands as the country’s increasingly heated debate around illegal immigration continues to dominate public discourse ahead of the local government elections.
The governing party says concerns about undocumented migration, pressure on public services and competition for jobs are legitimate, but insists that immigration enforcement remains the responsibility of the State.
The ANC’s intervention comes after weeks of anti-immigration protests and demonstrations in parts of the country, including Gauteng, where unemployment, crime and service delivery challenges have fuelled public frustration. The province, South Africa’s economic hub, remains a key destination for migrants seeking work and business opportunities, placing additional pressure on already strained municipalities.
In a statement issued following a National Working Committee meeting, the ANC acknowledged the public debate around migration but warned against vigilantism and community-led enforcement actions.
Acting ANC spokesperson Nonceba Mhlauli said recent anti-immigration actions had not succeeded in disrupting the country, but had affected South Africa’s image as a destination for investors and tourists.
“The enforcement of South Africa’s laws is the work of the State, and of no one else,” Mhlauli said.
Mhlauli’s remarks come at a time when migration has become one of the most contested political issues in the country, particularly in Gauteng, where residents have increasingly linked undocumented migration to pressures on jobs, housing, healthcare and other public services.
The ANC acknowledged that undocumented migration has economic consequences and said authorities have deported around 72 000 people who were found to be in the country unlawfully. However, the party noted that this figure represents only a fraction of the estimated number of undocumented migrants living in South Africa.
The party also turned its attention to employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers, arguing that exploitation of cheap labour contributes to tensions in communities.
“The one who knowingly hires the undocumented to work them harder and pay them less is not only breaking the law; that employer is depressing wages, starving the fiscus, and sabotaging the economy and the peace of communities,” Mhlauli said.
The ANC said the issue extends beyond migration itself and includes businesses that profit from vulnerable workers, criminal syndicates involved in human trafficking and weaknesses in border management systems.
At the same time, Mhlauli cautioned South Africans against resorting to violence or unlawful actions.
“South Africans must not be drawn into public disorder and vigilantism, which lead to a police cell while the true causes of hardship go untouched. Grievances must be taken to the ballot, not the streets,” Mhlauli said.
The governing party also argued that migration cannot be viewed solely through a law enforcement lens. According to the ANC, irregular migration is driven by broader continental challenges, including economic instability, conflict and climate-related disasters in several African countries.
To address these issues, the ANC announced what it calls the Continental Compact on Migration in Africa, a policy proposal aimed at strengthening legal migration systems, dismantling trafficking networks and addressing the root causes of migration while protecting South African workers.
The migration debate is expected to feature prominently in campaigning ahead of the November local government elections, with several political parties placing border security, immigration enforcement and public safety at the centre of their campaigns.
For Gauteng, where population growth continues to place immense pressure on housing, healthcare, transport and municipal services, immigration is likely to remain one of the defining political issues in the months ahead.
The ANC’s message is that the law must be enforced, exploitative employers held accountable and criminal syndicates dismantled, but that public anger should not be allowed to spill over into vigilantism.
Whether that message resonates with frustrated voters remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that immigration has moved beyond a border issue and now sits at the centre of South Africa’s wider conversation about jobs, service delivery, economic opportunity and social cohesion.
