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‘No-go zone’: Kunene promises mass deportations if elected Joburg mayor
Words: Betha Madhomu/African Insider
Patriotic Alliance (PA) mayoral candidate Kenny Kunene has vowed to turn Johannesburg into a “no-go zone” for undocumented foreign nationals if elected mayor in the upcoming local government elections.
Kunene made the promise while addressing party supporters as political parties intensify their campaigns ahead of the elections scheduled for Wednesday, 4 November.
He said that within 30 days of taking office, he would establish a task team to work alongside the Department of Home Affairs to identify and deport undocumented foreign nationals.
Kunene also pledged to make tackling illegal immigration a daily priority, arguing that foreign nationals without the required documentation were taking employment opportunities away from South Africans.
Kenny Kunene says says that “WHEN” he becomes Mayor the City of Johannesburg the city will be a no go zone for illegal immigrants “The City of Johannesburg is going to be a no go zone for illegal immigrants unapologetically so” Kunene further adds that within his first 30 days he set up a task team that will deal with illegal immigration. ” Within 30 days of me becoming the mayor I’m going to set up a task team when they wake up they go for illegal immigrants with Home Affairs that is their job everyday “
NOWinSA (@NowInSA) October 30, 2026
“We cannot have illegal immigrants being employed by big businesses at the expense of South Africans. So, we are going into Johannesburg to mass deport those who do not have the right papers,” he said.
The PA candidate insisted that his proposed crackdown was achievable, claiming he had already conducted raids in several Johannesburg suburbs.
“What I am saying is not a pipe dream. I have already raided houses in Bramley, in Kew, Sandton and in Hillbrow,” Kunene said.
“I have raided flats where we arrested illegal immigrants and handed them over to the police. I have already started doing it, so I’m not talking about a dream.”
He further argued that becoming mayor would give him greater authority to tackle what he described as the hijacking of residential properties and buildings across the city.
‘I will have more power’
“When I am the mayor, I will have more power to drive the programme of getting rid of these criminals. Our buildings are hijacked, our houses are hijacked, even in Soweto houses are being hijacked,” he said.
The remarks bring the PA’s hardline position on illegal immigration back into the spotlight, following an apparent moderation of its rhetoric after joining the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The party, led by Gayton McKenzie, previously popularised its anti-illegal immigration stance through the #Abahambe campaign, which called for South Africans to be prioritised.
Kunene’s latest statements suggest that immigration enforcement is once again a central feature of the party’s campaign as it seeks support in Johannesburg.
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