10 Undocumented Foreign Nationals Arrested at Illegal Waste Facility in Gauteng

• Ten undocumented foreign nationals were arrested at an illegal waste facility, including the facility owner
• This follows a joint operation involving the provincial Environment Department, Home Affairs, Labour, SAPS, and other stakeholders
• The compliance blitz in Vereeniging, Gauteng, found the facility operating without a proper waste management license

A joint operation involving the provincial Environment Department, Home Affairs, Labour, SAPS, and other stakeholders resulted in the arrest of 10 undocumented foreign nationals and the closure of an illegal waste facility.

Undocumented foreign nationals arrested

The operation conducted in the Emfuleni Local Municipality in Vereeniging, Gauteng, led to the closure of an illegal waste facility and the arrest of 10 undocumented foreign nationals, including the facility’s owner.

The joint operation, which occurred earlier this week, found the facility operating without a proper waste management license, violating the National Environmental Management Waste Act.

Gauteng Environment MEC Ewan Botha said that the facility ignored several warning and previous fines. He said that the facility continued to run its operations, which led them to shut down the facility immediately.

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Unsafe work conditions uncovered

It is alleged that during the raid, officials uncovered exploitative and unsafe working conditions at the facility. Labour inspectors confirmed that the site violated occupational health and safety regulations.

Two more facilities were inspected. One facility was partially compliant and will be closely monitored. The other met all legal requirements. The 10 foreign nationals were taken into custody for failing to produce valid identification documents.

What you ned to know about undocumented foreign nationals in SA

• The Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, weighed in on undocumented foreign nationals in a recent interview. His comments came after Operation Dudula embarked on a campaign to prevent undocumented foreigners from accessing public healthcare facilities.
• Operation Dudula has announced that it will be targeting undocumented foreign nationals in public schools. The organisation has been facilitating the forced removal of undocumented foreign nationals in public healthcare facilities.
• The South African Police Service raided an upmarket massage parlour, where they found undocumented foreign nationals. The women were found as part of ongoing raids at suspected brothels in Durban, and more arrests are to be made.
• Operation Dudula threatened legal action against the police and accused them of wrongful arrest. This was after three members who were recently arrested appeared before the court and were released.
• Gauteng Premier and the African National Congress's Gauteng co-convenor, Panyaza Lesufi, slammed undocumented foreign nationals.
• KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli made strong calls for illegal persons in South Africa to be deported.

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Gauteng prison overcrowded with illegal foreigners

In a previous article, Briefly News reported that Gauteng's prisons are experiencing overcrowding because of undocumented foreign nationals.

The Modderbee centre has allegedly 5366 prisoners and 2912 foreign nationals. Leeuwkop has 2913 offenders, 359 of whom are foreign nationals. Kgosi Mampuru has 2221 foreign nationals out of 7463 prisoners. Emthonjeni has 400 foreign nationals, most of whom are from Mozambique. South Africans discussing the overcrowding on Facebook shared suggestions the DCS could implement.

Source: Briefly News