Operation New Broom Arrests Undocumented Migrants in Pretoria Market Raid
- Minister Leon Schreiber's Department of Home Affairs deployed Immigration Services vehicles to a public market in Pretoria on 30 July 2026
- The enforcement action forms part of Operation New Broom, a nationwide campaign using biometric technology to identify and deport undocumented foreign nationals
- South Africans online questioned whether small-scale raids were sufficient to address the scale of illegal immigration in the country
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Source: Twitter
PRETORIA — The Department of Home Affairs conducted an immigration enforcement operation at a public market in Pretoria on 30 July 2026, with footage of the raid shared on X by Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber.
The video shows officials in blue jackets moving through an open-air gathering area, followed by close-up shots of a marked Immigration Services vehicle, complete with an official emblem and a caged rear compartment used to detain those arrested.
Operation New Broom's biometric approach
The Pretoria operation is part of Operation New Broom, a technology-driven enforcement campaign launched by the Department of Home Affairs on 21 May 2025. The initiative began with its first major sweep in District 6, Cape Town, and has since expanded to Gauteng, Limpopo, and Nelson Mandela Bay.
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Officers deployed under the operation use mobile fingerprint and facial scanning equipment in the field, allowing real-time verification of immigration status against official databases. The department says this eliminates reliance on paper documentation, which can be falsified, and builds stronger legal cases to support court-ordered deportations.
The Department of Home Affairs has also issued a standing call for undocumented individuals to voluntarily self-deport, warning that those formally arrested and deported face re-entry bans that would prevent them from obtaining legal status in South Africa in future.
South Africans question scale of operations
The video on the Minister's X page drew significant engagement online, with several users expressing scepticism about whether the raids were substantial enough to meaningfully address illegal immigration.
@ma_Ndosi wrote:
"Can you guys go in with trucks, as these little vans and collecting a few hundred is a waste of time. We have millions of illegal migrants in this country….when are you going to do something about it at scale? These little raids ain't it."
@PrelineMabika raised a different concern:
"Home Affairs failed a lot of immigrants. After COVID-19, many failed to renew their documents, and it was never addressed. A lot has happened; people just think those people woke up illegal out of nowhere."
@DeejProwl questioned a related legal matter, directing his comment at the minister:
"Have you appealed the Western Cape High Court ruling that allows undocumented migrants to register child births?"
Operation New Broom forms part of a broader digital transformation strategy being implemented across the Department of Home Affairs and the Border Management Authority.
See the full X clip below:
More on immigration enforcement in SA
- Briefly News recently reported on actor Tumisho Masha denying he's paid to post about illegal immigration, defending his stance in a candid beachfront video.
- March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma discussed South Africa's immigration crisis on Sky News Australia, earning praise from South Africans.
- Phakelumthakathi vowed to tackle illegal immigration across KZN, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng in a bold post, drawing mixed reactions online.
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Source: Briefly News
