South Africa’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration says 354 people have been arrested in enforcement operations linked to 205 registered cases.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said 123 of the cases were on court rolls. The figures cover work by a multidisciplinary team addressing illegal border crossings, illegal mining and organised crime that authorities say exploits weaknesses in the migration system.
The committee said enforcement had been intensified across several areas of concern. It did not provide a full provincial breakdown of the arrests in the information released on Tuesday.
An arrest is not a conviction. The cases must still be decided by the courts, and the committee’s figures do not establish that every person arrested is guilty of an offence.
Kubayi also warned businesses that employ undocumented foreign nationals that they could face action under South African law. Employers are required to follow immigration and labour rules when hiring workers.
The government has increasingly used joint operations involving police, immigration officials and other agencies to address illegal mining, border offences and related organised-crime allegations.
The committee did not say how many of the 205 cases had already been finalised or how many people had been convicted. Its latest update reflects the status of the enforcement work reported to the government.
