EFF’s Moshe Koma: Johannesburg’s crime problem shouldn’t be reduced to undocumented migrants

EFF provincial secretary and Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Moshe Koma told listeners of The Movement podcast that the city’s crime problem should not be simplified to the presence of undocumented migrants. Speaking on 12 August 2026, Koma urged authorities to treat criminality as the core issue regardless of a suspect’s nationality.

Crime, not nationality, at the centre of debate

Koma said focus should remain on criminal networks and individual responsibility rather than the nationality of those suspected of wrongdoing.

“It’s not only an issue of illegal immigrants. The problem we are confronted with is crime,”

he told the podcast.

Examples and concerns raised

As examples, Koma pointed to hijacked buildings and drug dealing, saying some hijacked properties are controlled by South Africans who then involve foreign nationals, and that South Africans are also involved in drug-related crime. He used these examples to question why nationality becomes central in public discussion of criminality.

Calls for accountability in government departments

Koma called for greater accountability in departments responsible for immigration and border management. He alleged that some government officials had helped people circumvent the law and cited arrests of officials allegedly linked to illegal electricity connections and other municipal misconduct.

He also raised concerns about the issuing of identity documents to undocumented migrants and asked:

“Is the problem us, as government officials?”

Coalition politics and service delivery

Addressing Johannesburg’s coalition government, Koma acknowledged tensions between parties but said the EFF remained committed to working in residents’ interests. He said the party would continue to disagree with coalition partners when it believed budgets or policies failed to address unemployment and service delivery.

Defending the EFF record

Koma defended the party’s record in Johannesburg, highlighting 24-hour clinics, free sanitary products and efforts to tackle hijacked buildings and substance abuse.

His remarks were made during an episode of The Movement podcast and were reported by Shaun Holland on 12 August 2026.