“Nobody should be called as an illegal immigrant”

According to Kopanong Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX), no human being should be labeled as an illegal immigrant.

The remark comes in the wake of recent confrontations in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, where protestors have called for law enforcement engagement in foreign national matters.

A crowd stoned and set fire to Zimbabwean national Elvis Nyathi last week, accusing him of being in the country illegally.

“No human being is illegal,” says KAAX spokesman Sharon Ekambaran. They are, in fact, undocumented. Let us fix the word since it is critical, especially in our nation where xenophobia still exists. People are undocumented or have skewed documentation.”

“You have permanent inhabitants, contract miners, tourists, migrants, and asylum seekers in our country.” “When you don’t lump everyone as migrants and it creates a negative connotation to what is a worldwide issue of human movement, that is what dignity is about,” Ekambaran adds.

Johannesburg Mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse stated on Saturday that the Diepsloot community has expressed worries about population density, with some residents claiming that issuing housing units has not eased the situation.

According to Phalatse, the current housing scenario is favorable for criminal behavior.

“As much as we’re decanting and attempting to de-densify, the shacks don’t get demolished, and certain members of those families stay behind, and only certain members go to the new apartments that we hand over,” I’ve been told. As a result, it isn’t actually resolving the issue. That is something we must investigate because, given the current density of the area, crime will be rampant and difficult to regulate,” Phalatse explained.