“You come here, we accommodate you, but you break the law.”
That was the blunt message from Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba when she confronted a group of undocumented foreigners arrested during a roadblock in Giyani, insisting South Africa’s laws must be respected.
Ramathuba addressed the group at the back of a home affairs enforcement van after officials found them in possession of fraudulent documents during a multidisciplinary road safety and immigration operation.
“When we get angry, you call us names. When I go to your house [country], I must respect your rules, but you guys come to South Africa and you call us fools and all that. It’s not right,” she said.
The premier was accompanied by transport and community safety MEC Basikopo Makamu, Mopani district mayor Pule Shayi and members of the South African Police Service and the Border Management Authority (BMA).
The group told officials they were travelling to Giyani to pay homage after the death of a relative in Ethiopia, saying they were on their way to visit a brother of the deceased.
Ramathuba dismissed the explanation, saying the matter would be handled by the courts.
“You will explain to the judge. We can’t release you because you don’t have papers. If you think you have connections, you will call whoever. There’s no one above me in the province. We are tired,” she said.
The roadblock is part of a provincial operation aimed at strengthening road safety and immigration enforcement in Limpopo.
TimesLIVE
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