President Cyril Ramaphosa Condemns Operation Dudula, Tells Employers Not to Hire Undocumented Foreigners

• President Cyril Ramaphosa's Human Rights Day address tackled a number of issues in South Africa including the targeting of foreign nationals
• The president urged citizens not to partake in acts of vigilantism in the name of getting rid of foreigners in Mzansi
• South Africans took to social media to weigh in on Ramaphosa's address and some people believe the president should be focusing his efforts on corrupt Home Affairs officials

KOSTER - President Cyril Ramaphosa gave a Human Rights Day address in Koster in the North West on Monday, 21 March. During his address, Ramaphosa took note of the human rights violations and criticised campaigns that target foreign nationals.

Ramaphosa weighed in on the uprising of Operation Dudula and called for an end to the organisation's campaigns against foreign nationals in South Africa. Ramaphosa stated that the campaigns under Operation Dudula and others are in contravention of the law.

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The president further stated that such acts of vigilantism cannot be allowed to continue as they are trying to address a social issue.

He also condemned employers that hire foreign nationals who do not have the legal documentation to work and live in South Africa, reports TimesLIVE.

Ramaphosa highlighted that foreign nationals have always been instrumental in the growth of South African industries, especially the mining industry. He stated that being anti-foreign nationals is very un-South African and called on citizens to refrain from participating in campaigns aimed against foreigners.

Ramaphosa went on to say that the government would liaise with employers to not hire foreign nationals that are not documented as they are breaking the law by doing so and they are also adding to the tensions between citizens and foreigners, according to IOL.

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South Africans weigh in on Ramaphosa's Human Rights Day address

@cab_delivery said:

"The President should have instructed police and home affairs officials to stop taking bribes from foreigners in exchange for fraudulent SA documents instead of him talking about a harmless organization that is fighting for the citizens' rights."

@PhilaniNgoza said:

"His Government is breaking the immigration laws as a result people are doing it for themselves."

@TumiDM1 said:

"Why does it take these operations to make your police, home affairs and dept of labour to work? Has @PresidencyZA seen how bad things have become? So sad."

@lebzicangal said:

"We will meet at the voting station it's fine you can go get your vote in the foreign countries."

@moloit6 said:

"You can't even take action against metal scrap dealers. We need to ask you where the train tracks that survived civil war and apartheid ended up. And also tell us how the illegal migrants made a living during the hard lockdown."

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@NickJeanPierre2 said:

"When is corruption going to be declared against the law??? Can you imagine this headline, President Ramaphosa has ordered for all those involved in state capture to be investigated swiftly and charged! If guilty, fired, thrown into jail while all assets and government frozen & attached."

ANC Veterans' league condemns Operation Dudula

Briefly News previously reported that the African National Congress Veterans' League (ANCVL) is not sitting idly by and watching the backlash against foreign nationals from the Operation Dudula Movement, which has spread to various townships in Gauteng.

ANCVL President Snuki Zikalala has chastised the movement's members on the backdrop of clashes with foreign-shop owners in Alexandra township in Johannesburg last week, TimesLIVE reported.

Directing a harsh word of advice to protesters, Zikalala urged them to stop harassing foreign nationals and, instead, go to school and acquire skills that will allow them to be effective and increase their chances of employment.

Source: Briefly News