Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has called for stronger penalties against business owners who knowingly employ undocumented foreigners.
Motsoaledi, together with Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, recently participated in a stakeholder engagement and service delivery monitoring session in Gqeberha.
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The Department of Home Affairs had dispatched mobile trucks to different communities at the request of the provincial government to assist citizens in obtaining their necessary documents.
During the meeting, Motsoaledi emphasised the need for sanctions against those who knowingly hire undocumented foreigners.
He proposed the implementation of by-laws to prevent such businesses from operating and encouraged parents to register their children to avoid cases like that of Thabo Bester.
Motsoaledi stated, “Anyone who knowingly employs an illegal foreigner or a foreigner in violation of this act shall be guilty of an offence and liable, upon conviction, to a fine or imprisonment not exceeding one year.
“A subsequent conviction of such an offense shall be punishable by imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine. A third subsequent conviction shall result in imprisonment not exceeding five years without the option of a fine.”
Motsoaledi also confirmed that the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the Department of Small Business Development were working together to strengthen laws preventing undocumented foreigners from operating businesses in the country.
In response to community concerns about spaza shops owned by illegal foreigners and the increasing cases of food poisoning among children, Motsoaledi and Cogta Minister Thembi Nkadimeng co-hosted a workshop in Ekurhuleni in October.
The workshop involved various stakeholders, including Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Salga, traditional leaders, and the Border Management Authority (BMA).
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As a result of the workshop, it was agreed that joint inspections of businesses would be conducted by labor, health, trade, industry and competition, and immigration inspectorate teams to ensure compliance with relevant laws.
Additionally, spaza shops in villages and townships would be audited, and mechanisms for registering them with traditional leaders and municipalities would be established.
There was also a commitment to coordinate and collaborate on border law enforcement between the government, traditional and Khoi-San leaders, and the BMA to help traditional authorities maintain records of foreign nationals in their communities.
