IN May, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) launched what it dubbed Operation New Broom, in a bid to arrest, convict and deport illegal immigrants. Currently the operation is sweeping throughout the country, amid condemnation from human rights formations.

The Operation uses biometric technology to verify the immigration status of suspects, eliminating the risk of fraudulent documents and building stronger legal cases.

“Operation New Broom tackles an old issue with new energy and technology. As with everything else we do, Operation New Broom is guided by our commitment to the rule of law. Our message to anyone who is in the country illegally, is clear: voluntarily deport yourself now, before we arrest and prohibit you from entering or obtaining legal status in South Africa in future,” said DHA Minister Leon Schreiber.

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Lawyers for Human Rights, together with 11 legal formations and civil organisations, have shared their outrage against Operation New Broom.
In a recent statement they said, “The operation, and others like it, bear a chilling resemblance to the trauma of forced removals that defined the apartheid era. Today, we see these practices return in the form of aggressive, dehumanising immigration operations.

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“This operation is not about law and order, it’s about scapegoating. The reality is that only black migrants are being targeted. This is not accidental, it is systematic.”
They are calling on DOH to halt the Operation New Broom, adding that those who have been detained must be released where the detention was unlawful, especially children, pregnant women and asylum seekers.

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