Cosatu and anti-xenophobia coalition blame Home Affairs as June 30 tensions rise

Cosatu Western Cape and the Western Cape Coalition against Xenophobia (WCC-AX) held a media briefing in Salt River and accused the Department of Home Affairs of keeping migrants “stateless, without papers and in a state of limbo” amid concerns about the June 30 deadline and related protests.

Groups oppose March and March and linked xenophobic actions

At the briefing, Cosatu’s Malvern de Bruyn read a joint statement on behalf of both organisations saying they “stand united and opposed to groups affiliated to March and March on the escalating assault on African migrants.” The statement described the so-called 30 June deadline as already having “caused so much chaos, suffering, and violence.”

What Cosatu and WCC-AX said

De Bruyn said the campaign was “a particularly brutal attempt to divide the working class and the poor” and argued it was intended “to distract attention from the abject failures of the government over more than 30 years, to build an economy that works for ordinary people.”

He warned the deadline “risks being but one of many upsurges of mass repatriations, tribalism, threats, and bullying.”

De Bruyn also criticised what he called a failure by the Department of Home Affairs, saying:

“Blaming undocumented migrants fails to hold the Department of Home Affairs accountable for its role in keeping people stateless, without papers and in a state of limbo. The Department of Home Affairs is itself in effect creating undocumented migrants by failing to process them efficiently, if at all.”

Voices from the coalition and migrant community

WCC-AX’s Danmore Chuma, identified in the briefing as from Zimbabwe, said he feels “really disturbed and betrayed” that the working class and poor are pitted against each other instead of uniting to tackle “unemployment, poverty, inequality, and posterity.”

Chuma added:

“Immigrants are not people who are irrelevant. Immigrants are not objects. Immigrants are people who have contributed, people who can contribute to the economic development of the country.”

Responses and national remarks

The office of Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber was contacted for comment, the briefing noted.

President Cyril Ramaphosa commented on the right to protest, saying that while it is constitutionally protected it “does not allow people to threaten or intimidate others, or to engage in acts of vandalism or violence.” He said government accepts the immigration system “requires substantial reform” and outlined actions including strengthening border management, increasing enforcement against undocumented immigration, improving asylum and visa integrity, and addressing corruption that has weakened immigration control.

Premier Alan Winde was also quoted, saying:

“Anyone acting outside of the law must be arrested and prosecuted. We fully respect every resident’s constitutional right to protest. However, this right must always be exercised peacefully and within the bounds of the law. I call on all residents to reject violence in all its forms.”

Calls to the public

Cosatu and WCC-AX urged South Africans to “reject the 30 June fabricated deadline,” to report actions against migrants to authorities and civil society groups, and to “act in the spirit of ubuntu and support their neighbours,” according to the joint statement read by De Bruyn.