Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi told ANC delegates that over 65% of residents in some informal settlements are undocumented, calling the situation unsustainable and demanding urgent, firm action from government and party leadership.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
ANC Gauteng co-convenor Panyaza Lesufi has emphasised the need for firm and immediate action to address the presence of undocumented foreign nationals in the province and informal settlements.
He warned that the issue threatens public services, law and order, and national sovereignty.
Speaking at the ANC’s two-day Gauteng Legotla, Lesufi said the situation has become unsustainable, pointing to Marry Me informal settlements in Tshwane as one of many examples.
“I can tell you, comrades, it's not Marry Me alone. There are many other similar things that are like in Marry Me,” he said.
Lesufi raised alarm over the growing number of undocumented people living in South African informal settlements: “Comrades, we can't have an informal settlement where over 65% of its citizens are undocumented foreign residents in our own country. It must come to an end. We must be very firm on these things, comrades. And no one must characterise this otherwise.”
Calling for stricter controls, Lesufi said undocumented individuals must either legalise their stay or leave:
''There is no country that can agree that you have people who you don’t know who they are, where they come from, where they sleep, what they do, and they are in our country doing as they wish - that period of honeymoon must come to an end. We must be very firm.
“You document yourself, or you leave us in peace. And it has nothing to do, comrades, with any characterisation of our character. Everyone knows our Ubuntu, but our Ubuntu cannot be abused.”
He highlighted the strain placed on hospitals and public infrastructure, where South Africans are required to show identification, while undocumented individuals receive services without the same accountability.
“Our hospitals are overflowing when South Africans are requested to come with an ID document to identify themselves. They don't have to identify themselves, but expect to be serviced. It creates problems across,'' he said.
Stressing that the issue is not about political point-scoring, Lesufi said: “We are not raising it for the purpose of political experience of other political parties. We are raising it for the purpose of law and order and the sovereignty of our own country. We can't surrender it to any other person.”
He also noted that the matter has already been discussed with President Cyril Ramaphosa and relevant ministers.
“If we can't formally take a decision on how best to manage this situation, we must forget about everything that we want to do.”
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