Immigration is a whole-of-society issue that requires the involvement of every sector.

This is according to Mamile Sikhosana, a member of the national dialogue steering committee representing the immigration sector. She spoke at the immigration sector dialogue at the Altrec Sports Complex in Alexandra on September 30, where residents, including some of the township’s most outspoken critics of undocumented migration, aired their grievances about illegal immigration.

Read more: Community safety dialogue unites residents against crime

Sikhosana said the purpose of the dialogue was to let people share their concerns and propose the solutions they believe will work best. For a community divided by growing immigration-related tensions, the platform came at the right time. It gave residents room to voice dissenting views and brought them face to face with stakeholders, including the department of home affairs. “As we know, in Alexandra, we have a lot of immigration concerns, starting from the education sector and informal trading,” she said.

Sikhosana stressed that the issue reaches well beyond any single department. “We have a whole lot of sectors in the national dialogue, but the immigration sector cuts across all the other sectors, even in governance,” she said.

The discussions bore that out. Participants pointed out that many parts of society enable illegal immigration without realising it. A local butchery may sell meat to a foreign national selling fast food, landlords rent out rooms, and property owners earn income from foreign-owned spaza shops built in their yards. Taxi drivers, too, transport foreign nationals to work. These revelations underlined the importance of getting everyone involved, including the community.

Sikhosana urged residents to take part so that the committee can represent them fully without excluding anyone. The concerns raised, she added, will be forwarded to the provincial government and to the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Also read: Alexandra residents air immigration concerns at national dialogue

Residents did not hold back. William Maila, one of the most vocal residents on the subject, said the only acceptable solution is for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa and return only once properly documented. Citing rising unemployment, he argued that South Africans must reclaim their local economy and start working for themselves.

Resident Tebogo Selala alleged that some companies hire foreign nationals at very low wages, shutting South Africans out of work. “There is no South African who would want to earn R2 000,” she said, calling for door-to-door inspections with the help of the community.

Home affairs Alexandra branch manager Thuri Moodali said the department is already acting. Across the Johannesburg metro, more than 5 000 illegal immigrants have been deported since April, with 1 321 recorded in August, the highest monthly figure in that period. 147 businesses were inspected between April and August.

Police figures point to the scale of the issue. By September 28, officers in Alexandra had arrested 143 undocumented foreign nationals, including 23 between September 20 and 26.

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