Labour Department to Scour Robertson Farms for Illegal Immigrants in Wake of Violent Clashes

• The Western Cape's employment and labour department will investigate farms located in Robertson for any illegal migrant workers
• The move follows clashes that reportedly broke out between Zimbabwean and Basotho nationals after one group invaded another's property
• Several people were injured during the incident, with the police dismissing assertions that some, including children, were killed

NKQUBELA - The Employment and Labour department in the Western Cape will probe farms located in Robertson for alleged illegal foreign workers following violent clashes during the week.

According to information on the ground, Home Affairs officials and the South African Police Service (SAPS) met with farmworkers in the area to attempt to establish the validity of the allegations.

The Western Cape Labour Department's chief inspector, David Esau, speaking on the sidelines of the engagements, said his unit aimed to develop cooperation between municipalities, local administrations and national government concerning the issue of immigration and job creation, News24 reported.

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SAPS monitoring aftermath of clashes between Zim, Lesotho workers in WC, SA in fear of bloodshed

SAPS' Public Order Policing (POP) unit is monitoring the situation to quell any further unrest stemming from the conflict between Basotho and Zimbabwean nationals on Thursday, TimesLIVE reported.

Fake reports purporting killings

Briefly News understands the two groups reportedly went at each other after one group allegedly took over the property of another. Brigadier Novela Potelwa, the provincial police spokesperson, said various tactical units and air support had been dispatched over the area.

"It comes after a sporadic incident in which one group took over the property of another. The [subsequent] clashes were quelled after SAPS responded to the incident, causing the suspects to flee to a nearby hill. Several people suffered moderate injuries during the alleged violence," explained Potelwa.

The senior police official dismissed suggestions that some people were killed in the conflict, including children being hacked, per the reports doing the rounds online. Potelwa said the reports constitute fake news which might instigate unnecessary panic.

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Xenophobic violence allegedly breaks out in Pietermaritzburg

Elsewhere, Briefly News recently reported that an alleged xenophobic outbreak in Pietermaritzburg's central business district forced several shops to shut down along the busy Church Street on Wednesday.

According to News24, police arrived at the scene to quell the unrest after one person was killed during an alleged criminal incident involving a foreign national and a taxi owner before further confrontations between an unknown group and informal traders believed to be migrants erupted.

Although the details were sketchy at the time, Briefly News understands the group, comprising men, gathered and began attacking a shop owner before the violence escalated, causing the death of at least one person.

Source: Briefly News