South Africans Laugh As Panyaza Lesufi Issues Stern Warning to Undocumented Foreigners in Gauteng

• Gauteng Premier and the African National Congress's Gauteng co-convenor, Panyaza Lesufi, slammed undocumented foreign nationals
• He spoke during an ANC lekgotla in Johannesburg on 3 May and said that undocumented foreign nationals have been warned to get their papers in order
• South Africans roasted Lesufi, and some believed that the ANC was trying to score political points before the local government elections

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliament and Parliamentary committees, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

JOHANNESBURG — Panyaza Lesufi, the Gauteng Provincial Co-Convenor of the African National Congress (ANC) and the premier, was roasted after he warned undocumented foreign nationals to get their papers in order.

What did Panyaza Lesufi say?

Lesufi addressed members of the ANC during the provincial task team's Lekgotla on 3 May 2025. Lesufi said most of the residents of the Marry Me informal settlement, where five were killed in a shooting earlier this year, were illegal immigrants.

He said there are many similar informal settlements where more than 60% of the residents are foreign nationals. Lesufi mentioned that no country can agree to have undocumented foreign nationals it cannot account for, and called for firmness. He cautioned undocumented foreign nationals to be documented or face deportation.

In April, the Border Management Authority (BMA) revealed that it prevented over 6200 illegal immigrants from entering and exiting the country during the Easter weekend this year. More than 100 people were arrested for facilitating illegal immigration.

South Africans not impressed

Netizens commenting on @eNCA's X tweet were not pleased and attributed Lesufi's statements to politicking.

Sandile Msibi asked:

"What were you waiting for all these years? Or maybe the 2026 elections are around the corner?"

MoBee said:

"They must hurry up."

In a Nutshell asked:

"Who let them in in the first place? Whoever opened the door should be the one fixing their papers too, or at least offering them a printer and free WiFI."

Unathi Afrika said:

"When they start auditioning for top office, instead of discussing youth unemployment, education, industrialisation, control of resources, banking reforms, transformation of industrial supply chains, land, they fire at illegal foreigners."

Sith Lord asked:

"What have you been waiting for? It's election time next year."

T-Junction said:

"We know this song. Every time the ANC needs votes, they sing it."

KommanderJo said:

"What an irresponsible statement. According to the law, once you overstay your visit, you come here illegally, you are automatically an undesirable person, and you must be arrested."

What you need to know about Panyaza Lesufi

Panyaza Lesufi is a South African politician currently serving as the seventh Premier of Gauteng, a position he assumed in 2022. He was Gauteng’s Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education from 2014 until his premiership, except for a brief two-day appointment as MEC for Finance in 2019. He also served as acting MEC for Social Development between 2019 and 2020.

Lesufi was first elected to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 2014. A long-standing member of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been part of its Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee since 2007 and was elected Provincial Chairperson in 2022. He is also affiliated with the South African Communist Party and serves on the ANC's National Executive Committee.

Panyaza Lesufi launches Gauteng office space rent probe

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Lesufi hired a private forensic firm to investigate the amount of money the provincial government spends on office space. This was after Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Jacob Mamabolo revealed that the government spends more than R30 million renting office space.

Lesufi said he wanted to ascertain whether the government was engaged in wasteful expenditure. His spokesperson, Vuyo Mhaga, said that the province also has a project to revitalise central business districts.

Source: Briefly News