Robert Marawa's 'He Tried' Post on Aaron Motsoaledi's Old Speech Sparks Debate
- Sports broadcaster Robert Marawa posted a cryptic 'He tried' message on X on Saturday, 10 October 2026, pointing to an old Aaron Motsoaledi video
- The post reignited conversations about the former Home Affairs Minister's controversial 2022 immigration speech at an ANC regional conference
- South Africans flooded the comments with strong opinions on whether Motsoaledi's warnings were ever taken seriously by those in power
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Sports broadcaster Robert Marawa set social media alight on Saturday, 10 October 2026, after posting just three words on X, "He tried....." alongside a clip of former Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi speaking about undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa.
Source: Instagram
The brief message was enough to reignite a long-running debate about immigration policy, crime and political accountability.
The clip appears to reference a speech Motsoaledi delivered at an ANC regional conference in the Eastern Cape in April 2022, during which he spoke bluntly about undocumented migration and the government's response to it.
What Motsoaledi said in 2022
At the time, Motsoaledi argued that South Africa's political leadership was avoiding a critical conversation.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
"One of the things that is contemporary in SA which is a big elephant in the room, and we are trying to run away from that elephant by keeping quiet, is the issue of immigration," he said, according to reporting from Business Day on 19 April 2022.
He also pushed back against the notion that discussing immigration policy was inherently xenophobic, and outlined plans for targeted operations to arrest undocumented foreign nationals involved in criminal activity. The remarks drew criticism from those who felt his language blurred the line between immigration status and criminality, as being undocumented does not, in itself, constitute a criminal act.
Watch the clip below on X.
South Africans react to Marawa's post
Marawa's post drew a wave of responses from users who felt Motsoaledi had been fighting a losing battle. One user, Mpho, wrote:
"He tried shame 💔💔. Minister Motswaledi has been preaching this for the longest time, and he was seen as the bad guy."
Ngqanga Nentsiba Zayo offered a blunter take, writing:
"Unfortunately the crowd wasn't even listening."
Other commenters went further, suggesting that political interests had worked against the former minister, with one claiming he was removed from his position for selfish reasons. That claim reflects personal opinion rather than any verified account of Cabinet reshuffles.
Motsoaledi held the Home Affairs portfolio until President Cyril Ramaphosa restructured his Cabinet in June 2024, following that year's general election. Ramaphosa appointed Democratic Alliance politician Leon Schreiber as the new Minister of Home Affairs and moved Motsoaledi to Health. No verified evidence links that reassignment specifically to his 2022 immigration comments.
South Africa's immigration debate remains deeply contentious, touching on border security, asylum processes, crime statistics and the rights of foreign nationals. Motsoaledi's 2022 address stood out at the time for its unusually direct tone, and Marawa's post has given it a second life online, prompting users to ask whether the concerns raised four years ago were ever properly addressed.
Marawa erupts as Relebohile Mofokeng scores
Briefly News previously reported that Relebohile Mofokeng found the net just 17 minutes into his UEFA Europa League debut for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
Veteran broadcaster Robert Marawa led South African celebrations on X with a fiery post after the milestone goal.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Source: Briefly News
