Video of General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi Discussing Immigration Sparks Debate

• KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi sparked a debate with recent comments about immigration
• Mkhwanazi discussed the patterns of immigration between South Africa and countries like Eswatini and Botswana
• Netizens debated his statements, with some agreeing with him and others challenging his views on immigration

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

DURBAN, KWAZULU-NATAL — The South African Police Service (SAPS) KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi sparked a debate on social media after he weighed in on immigration challenges in South Africa.

X user OvoMogoeng posted a video of Mkhwanazi speaking on immigration on his @CMogoeng X account. In the video, Mkhwanazi said that before white people arrived in South Africa, there were no borders between countries like Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa. However, the introduction of borders has resulted in a separation of people who were once a nation.

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Mkhwanazi added that people in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State do their shopping in neighbouring countries like Eswatini and Lesotho.

View the X video here:

South Africa and immigration

Recently, the Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, admitted that the government did not adequately respond to the issue of illegal migrants in the country. He said that the government failed to track the number of foreign nationals in the country, their mode of entry, and their motive for illegally immigrating to South Africa.

On 12 November 2023, the then-Minister of Home Affairs Dr Aaron Motsoaledi admitted that the department had no system to track illegal foreigners flooding he country. He said that many foreign nationals cannot be accounted for in the country.

What did South Africans say?

Netizens commenting on X shared their views.

Gaba said:

"He is telling the truth, especially people in Phongolo in KwaZulu-Natal who do their shopping in Swaziland at Nhlangano."

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Easy X said:

"He's very correct. The problem is the illegal immigrants from Mozambique and Zimbabwe as well as Nigerians who are here to destroy and not to build."

Sygnor Jayt said:

"Truth so many South Africans hate to hear. I have family in Limpopo, Free State, and Lesotho. It's hard to say those are not my people."

The Hanist said:

"My grandfather's father was born in KwaZulu-Natal. He ran away to Mozambique when Shaka tried to kill his family. Some of his descendants are in Mozambique and others are in South Africa. So where are we really from?"

Purity said:

"Love him. Foreigners are not bad people. They are just suffering back home, hence they are here: to have a better life."

Cyril Ramaphosa says immigration is not a crisis in South Africa

In a related article, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke on 27 July 2025 and said that migration in the country was not a threat. He addressed the Liberation Movements Summit in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.

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Ramaphosa said that migration between countries is the consequence of underdevelopment, war, and global inequality. He said migration is not a consequence of the illegal migrants' moral failing.

Source: Briefly News