Police Raid 2 Clothing Warehouses in Newcastle in KZN, Arrest 268 Illegal Immigrants Employed There
- Operation Vala Umgodi led to the arrest of 268 illegal immigrants in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
- The foreign nationals were employed at two warehouses but were in the country illegally
- Police also charged the warehouse owners for contravening the immigration act
Source: Getty Images
KWAZULU-NATAL – Operation Vala Umgodi is yielding great success nationwide.
As police officers under the banner are arresting illegal miners in the North West, KZN SAPS have turned their attention to illegal foreigners working in the province.
Police operating under Operation Vala Umgodi have now arrested 268 illegal foreigners in Newcastle.
Illegal immigrants employed at warehouse
Following information received of illegal immigrants working in the area, SAPS pounced on two warehouses in Gutenburg Street, Newcastle.
The operation was carried out during the night of Friday, 22 November and continued into the early hours of Saturday morning, 23 November.
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli was also present during the raid.
The foreigners, who are between the ages of 18 and 51 years old, were processed by immigration officers from the Department of Home Affairs and found to be in the country illegally.
Warehouse owners out on bail
The warehouse owners, 40 and 46 years old, were released on R1000 bail. They are charged with contravening Section 38 of the Immigration Act by employing illegal foreigners.
The warehouses in question manufactured fabric and clothing items.
South Africans weigh in on arrests
While some social media users praised the police, others questioned why it took so long for such operations to be carried out.
@Jaytea2015 said:
The only province where SAPS is functional.”
@ThabangKaTlou added:
“There are 268 vacancies that just opened; share with family and friends.”
Imraan Seedat said:
“The best thing to ever happen to the SAPS and this country was the day they got rid of Bheki Cele. Never seen the SAPS this active and productive.”
Its-Nathi Bio Chemical stated:
“This government is finally working ever since the GNU, but it's too late. The damage has been done.”
Mothobakgotso Trading said:
“Strict laws would have prevented all this nonsense of food poisoning, drugs, spaza shops and cheap labour. All because we are a joke of a country.”
Mtobi Nash added:
“This has been going on for years. I didn't know there was still intelligence in RSA. Welcome back.”
SAPS raid warehouse in Durban
In a related article, a law enforcement operation discovered warehouses stocking mostly expired foods in Durban.
Briefly News reported that the raids on the warehouses uncovered pesticides stored with baby food, chip spices, and canned food.
Police are currently conducting an investigation into who operates the business, which supplies mainly to spaza shops.
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Source: Briefly News
