WATCH | More than 2,000 undocumented migrants found at a Joburg informal settlement

Government officials preparing for electrification of an informal settlement in Johannesburg have found that more than half of the 4,000 people living there are undocumented foreigners.

This was found during a household verification operation led by City of Johannesburg member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for human settlements Mlungisi Mabaso, alongside law enforcement agencies.

Mabaso, with officials from the department of home affairs, the metro police and other government entities, conducted the verification as part of preparations for the electrification and upgrading of Kathrada Park informal settlement in Newclare, west of Johannesburg.

He said during the verification process, officials discovered that more than half the residents of the settlement were foreigners.

“You’ve got 1,800 residents verified to be South Africans and approximately 2,200 identified as foreign nationals. If we were to identify alternative land for relocation, it would mean we are accommodating foreign nationals, and that is not what we are going to do,” he said.

Mabaso said the city would remove undocumented foreigners from the area.

“We are not going to look for an alternative place for South Africans living here. We are going to remove the foreign nationals so that we are able to work in the informal settlement for the development of South Africans, who are residing here and waiting for the government to provide services,” said Mabaso.

According to Mabaso, the settlement has become highly congested, delaying development and service delivery projects intended for South African residents living in the area.

“We came here to conduct a verification on the households that are here. The reason for us doing that is because we received a report from contractors appointed for the electrification and upgrading of the informal settlement that the area is highly congested, and that some residents would need to be relocated,” said Mabaso.

According to the MMC, consultants and contractors for the upgrading project were appointed in 2024, but progress has been hindered by overcrowding.

Sowetan