Johannesburg - Gauteng Premier David Makhura has declared that his administration will not apologise for the crackdown on illegal immigrants and counterfeit goods sold in the province.
This comes amid accusations that Gauteng's Okae Molao operation promotes xenophobia.
In recent weeks different clusters of government, led by the SAPS and the Joburg metro police department (JMPD), confiscated counterfeit goods worth millions of rand in raids in Joburg.
Speaking during an oral question session at the provincial legislature on Tuesday, Makhura said several illegal immigrants nabbed in the operation had already been sent to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, where they would be held until they were deported to their home countries.
Makhura said while some have criticised the raids, the government planned on increasing their frequency with one scheduled for tomorrow.
“We as a self-respecting country need to know how many people are coming into our country who are not South African, whether they come from the continent or Asia or Europe.
“We also need to know those who are coming here for no good, who are here to turn our country into some illegal business,” Makhura said.
He insisted that the country's laws embraced those who came from outside its borders just as South African freedom fighters were accepted in many countries during the Struggle.
“There are a lot of Africans who are in our country because the conditions are difficult.
"Some are running away from wars and others from persecution. They will come to a more peaceful country but we need to ensure there is proper documentation for everybody,” he said.
Makhura added that the Department
of Home Affairs had to deal with
its own documentation failings.
“Up to recently, Home Affairs was
not processing a lot of applications.
We have a lot of people who are in our
country who came legally with papers
but their papers expire and they get
illegalised,” he said.
On counterfeit goods, Makhura
said the country’s poor border controls,
including at ports, played a significant
role in increased criminal activity in
the province and the entire country.
“These counterfeit goods go with
drugs, where our country is turned
into the drug den of the south, linked
with some other countries.
“The issue of strengthening our
border security is something that is a
priority,” he said.
The provincial government,
through the economic development
department, was also in the process of
drafting a new, potentially controversial
law, the Township Economy Development
Act, where certain industries
and economic activities would largely
be ring-fenced for locals.
Makhura defended the plan, saying
that it was what many countries were
doing across the world.
The premier also said the National
Health Insurance (NHI) plan would
ensure that all South Africans get equitable
and quality healthcare.
“The fundamental principle of the
NHI is universal health coverage. The
same applies to education,” Makhura
said.
He said improvements to the ailing
health system would be conducted at
the same time as the implementation
of the NHI.
DA health spokesperson Jack
Bloom asked how the NHI would be
run efficiently. In response, Makhura
repeated: “We want to provide universal
healthcare coverage to all South
Africans regardless of whether they
have an income or not.”