14 undocumented foreigners arrested after Witbank march as Home Affairs conducts on-site screening

Fourteen undocumented foreign nationals were arrested in Witbank after Department of Home Affairs officials carried out an on-site screening during a mass community march through the Emalahleni central business district, according to The Citizen.

What happened during the march

The march drew an estimated 1 500 participants and began from a park in Vosman at around 9am. It moved through the Witbank CBD and ended with the handing over of a memorandum to the Executive Mayor of Emalahleni Local Municipality, The Citizen reports.

On-site screening and arrests

Department of Home Affairs officials conducted a processing operation alongside the procession. Those who could not produce valid documentation permitting their stay in South Africa were taken into custody and charged, The Citizen says.

“There were foreign nationals [who] were processed by the Department of Home Affairs,”

“It was during this time when it was discovered that amongst them, 14 had no valid documentation to be in South Africa, hence they were apprehended then charged accordingly,” Mdhluli stated.

Police deployment and public safety

Police deployment during the event was described as precautionary. Members of the SAPS together with other law enforcers were deployed to protect road users and the public, and The Citizen reports the day passed without any notable disruption.

Warnings against vigilantism

With immigration tensions visible during the march, senior police leadership warned communities against taking enforcement into their own hands. Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi emphasised that while protest is a protected right, self-appointed enforcement is not, according to The Citizen.

“While communities have the right to raise their concerns through lawful and peaceful means, we strongly discourage any form of vigilantism,”

“We encourage people to work together with law enforcement agencies and report criminal activities through the proper legal channels,” Mkhwanazi said.

Ongoing context

The Citizen links the arrests directly to the Home Affairs processing operation conducted during the march and records police confirmation of the sequence of events and the authorities’ response.