Political leaders in KwaZulu-Natal are raising alarms over the shortage of immigration officers.
Image: BMA
With over a million illegal foreigners living in KwaZulu-Natal, civil organisations and political parties have raised concerns over the dire shortage of immigration officers in the province, which is also a countrywide problem.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has 64 immigration officers permanently stationed in KZN, and tasked with managing the ever-growing issue of illegal migration.
ATM leader in Parliament, Vuyo Zungula, told the Daily News that there were only 832 immigration officers available to manage immigration issues across communities and workplaces in the country, according to feedback he received from the DHA.
He had previously directed questions to the DHA about the plight of immigration officers in policing the influx of illegal foreigners into the country and received responses from Minister Dr Leon Schreiber during a session in Parliament on Tuesday.
According to the parliamentary feedback Zungula received, there were an estimated 15 million illegal immigrants in South Africa; yet the country had little over 800 immigration officers to verify the authenticity of documents and perform other duties.
Zungula expressed concern that officers were also not properly equipped with the necessary electronic devices to perform these tasks. Given these challenges, coupled with the growing number of illegal immigrants in the country, Zungula proposed a large-scale recruitment of immigration officers.
“The government’s response, particularly President Ramaphosa’s previous suggestion to hire labour inspectors, does not solve the immigration policing problem due to legal limitations,” Zungula said.
He explained that only immigration officers were legally permitted to deal with suspected illegal foreigners.
Eric Jean Butoki Madel, Country Chairperson of the Southern Africa Refugee Organizations Forum (SAROF), said the term “illegal foreigner” was often weaponised by those fostering xenophobic attitudes.
He said that, according to SAROF, there is no credible support for Zungula’s figures on the number of illegal immigrants, with the DHA and Statistics South Africa failing to provide data to substantiate the claims.
“The only reliable figures available pertain to legitimate refugees and asylum seekers, which currently stand at 167,615, as per the latest United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) data—significantly lower than the 267,534 reported in November 2024.
“The consequences of this misuse of terms cannot be understated. The conflation of nationality and illegality can incite violence, particularly against Black African migrants, who often become targets during xenophobic outbursts. SAROF condemns this agenda, asserting that it is a tactic employed by politicians to exploit fear and garner votes ahead of the impending elections,” Butoki Madel said.
He added that the narrative suggesting immigrants are usurping job opportunities from South Africans is another distortion challenged by SAROF.
Butoki Madel said that recent revelations from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) underline corruption within Refugee Reception Offices, particularly in major centres such as Pretoria and Durban.
“This exposes a concerning reality behind the management of refugee services, manifesting the state’s structural failure to safeguard vulnerable populations,” he said.
During the State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that illegal immigration presents a significant challenge for the country, noting its implications for national security, social stability, and economic development.
He emphasised that the government would intensify efforts to improve border management and enforcement by strengthening border security, upgrading infrastructure, and implementing enhanced technologies at ports of entry.
Ramaphosa also warned that businesses employing foreign nationals without the required legal documentation will face stricter enforcement under South African law.
To support these measures, the government announced plans to significantly increase labour oversight capacity. Approximately 10,000 additional labour inspectors are expected to be recruited to strengthen workplace inspections and ensure compliance with labour and immigration regulations.
The objective was to address unlawful employment practices and protect both lawful workers and compliant employers.
March and March leader and co-founder, Jacinta Ngobese Zuma, said the number of immigration officers was extremely small.
“The government needs to employ more officers in order to deal with the millions of illegal foreigners roaming around the province. The government must also provide police officers with training to enable them to handle illegal foreigners and to differentiate between fake and legitimate documents,” Ngobese Zuma said.