Nhlanhla Mabaso8 September 2024 | 7:23

Illegal foreigners 'must go back home & come back legally' - KZN's Ntuli

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said that illegal foreigners had contributed to the high levels of crime in the country.

Illegal foreigners 'must go back home & come back legally' - KZN's Ntuli

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli at the Reed Dance ceremony at eMachobeni Royal Palace in iNgwavuma on 7 September 2024. Picture: @kzngov/X

DURBAN - The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government said that it wanted illegal foreigners deported back to their countries and for them to only return to South Africa legally.  
 
Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli raised this while speaking at the first leg of the annual Reed Dance ceremony at eMachobeni Royal Palace in iNgwavuma, in northern KZN on Saturday. 
 
Ntuli said that illegal foreigners had contributed to the high levels of crime in the country. 
 
Last week over 123 foreign nationals, who were in the country illegally, were nabbed by police, following the raiding of buildings in Durban.
 
Some of those arrested were charged for selling drugs in what has been confirmed to be hijacked buildings. 
 
Speaking at the Reed Dance, Ntuli told Zulu monarch Misuzulu kaZwelithini that he has a plan to curb illegal foreigners.  
 
"This campaign will look at illegal foreigners. They must go back home and come back here legally."
 
Ntuli said that illegal foreigners were also contributing to the high levels of unemployment. 
 
"Most of them are being exploited by their employers. They get employed while many here aren’t working because illegal foreigners are being paid peanuts."
 
Ntuli said that as the head of the community safety department, he would lead the fight against undocumented foreigners.