ActionSA slams Ramaphosa’s illegal immigration address as ‘weak and reactionary’

ActionSA has dismissed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on illegal immigration as “weak and reactionary.” The party said the measures he announced do little to resolve what it described as South Africa’s immigration crisis.

Party says address repackaged old ideas

In a statement issued after Ramaphosa’s Sunday evening address, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said the speech failed to show a meaningful shift in government policy. The president had announced plans to bolster border security, increase deportations, crack down on immigration and labour law violations, and to tackle corruption within the immigration system.

“ActionSA is disappointed by President Ramaphosa’s weak and reactionary address, which does nothing to address the immigration crisis created by the ANC and perpetuated by the failing GNU government,”

Mashaba said the measures announced were a re-packaging of talking points that, in his view, had characterised the ANC’s decades-long failure to secure South Africa’s borders. He called for a policy anchored on mass deportations and the urgent capacitation of enforcement capacity, and said stronger enforcement would fail unless the Border Management Authority was properly funded and equipped.

Media engagement and diplomatic pressure

Mashaba also criticised Ramaphosa for not taking questions from the media after the address. He said:

“Perhaps indicative of the weakness of his address, the President once again refused to engage with the media. South Africans deserve answers to questions about what, if anything, has changed in the government’s approach to immigration enforcement,”

DA welcomes the measures

While ActionSA described the address as insufficient, the Democratic Alliance welcomed the measures. The DA said the proposals aligned with its calls for stronger border management and improved immigration administration, and backed tougher action against employers who hire undocumented foreign nationals.

What the president pledged

During his address, Ramaphosa pledged to accelerate deportations and improve coordination between law enforcement agencies, and said government would strengthen controls at South Africa’s borders.

The criticism from ActionSA follows the president’s announcements and the differing responses from opposition parties.