Note to editors: The following speech was delivered today by BOSA Leader, Dr Mmusi Maimane MP, during Parliament’s debate on the Immigration Amendment Bill.
Honourable Speaker,
We are here to debate the Immigration Amendment Bill. On paper, it’s about the arrest and detention of “illegal foreigners.”
In reality, it is about much more: it is about who we blame when the system fails, and whether we allow fear and hate to shape our policies, our politics and our society.
The root of this debate is not immigration. It is dispossession. It is scarcity. It is a government that cannot deliver jobs, quality education or decent healthcare.
And instead of fixing that, we look for someone to blame. Too often, that someone is the foreigner.
Immigration is a global reality. People move across borders for work, safety, and opportunity. What is a question of legality is now being framed as a question of race. And that is dangerous.
When organisations like Operation Dudula take the law into their own hands, harassing and attacking fellow Africans, we must condemn it.
When members of this House suggest turning off hospital machines because a patient is foreign, we must condemn it.
There is no excuse for such inflammatory speech and action. This is xenophobia, plain and simple.
We cannot create a just society through hate.
Prosperity and opportunity, not fear and scapegoating, are the answers. If government fails to create jobs, homes, and schools, they are the ones failing, not the fellow Africans living here in South Africa.
Finally, I want to be clear that BOSA’s stance on this issue is not pro-illegality. There are laws in place on immigration into South Africa, and those laws must be upheld.
Illegal immigration is by definition illegal. South Africa is not a free for all, and porous borders undermine our ability to plan and deliver services.
The integrity and sovereignty of our nation’s borders must be respected, and funding is necessary to ensure the Border Management Authority is adequately equipped
Less than a quarter of positions have been filled of the 11,100 personnel required. This is compounded by the Border Management Authority being underfunded by more than R2.2 billion.
Without the necessary tools, including thermal scanners, modern policing technology, and proper resources, the authority is severely constrained in fulfilling its mandate. It is time to properly fund and equip the BMA.
Honourable Speaker, BOSA supports this bill.
I thank you.
Media Enquiries: Roger Solomons – BOSA Spokesperson – 072 299 3551