Spaza shops and illegal immigrants: Here’s where law enforcement made progress last month
· Citizen
Public anti-illegal immigration sentiment is declining while authorities continue to focus on spaza shop compliance enforcement.
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These were the key themes highlighted by Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili during the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) update on Friday.
Spaza shops and illegal immigration
Authorities searched 34 162 spaza shops in July at a rate of over 1 000 per day across the country.
The Eastern Cape and the Free State accounted for 14 948 and 10 406 searches respectively, with only Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal exceeding 2 000.
“These inspections seek to ensure compliance with municipal by-laws, food safety regulations, business licensing requirements and immigration legislation where applicable,” stated Mosikili.
During Operation Shanela activities in July, authorities arrested 16 208 illegal immigrants, bringing the total number of unauthorised foreign nationals arrested since January to 59 947.
Mosikili said that between April and the end of July, 18 816 people had been deported, with 3 016 undocumented foreign nationals currently awaiting deportation at Lindela.
Additionally, the government had repatriated 77 184 foreign nationals to various countries of origin.
However, the temporary repatriation facility near Musina is set to be dismantled once the roughly 500 remaining repatriates depart on their homeward journey in the coming days.
It has been six weeks since the mass anti-immigration marches, and Mosikili said protest activity had subsided significantly.
She stated that during July, 212 public order incidents had been recorded, resulting in the arrest of 354 suspects and the opening of 205 criminal cases.
Of the 212, five involved looting, nine required police intervention due to unrest, and 198 were gatherings or peaceful marches.
Election readiness
With the Electoral Commission of South Africa confirming 4 November as the date for the 2026 local government elections, Mosikili confirmed the voter registration weekend had concluded without major incident.
“This demonstrates the maturity of our democracy and the professionalism of our security forces,” Mosikili stated.
However, the Natjoints head noted that seven political party councillors had been murdered since January.
These included a DA member in the Western Cape, ANC members in the Eastern Cape and KZN, and four in Gauteng – two each from the EFF and uMkhonto weSizwe party.
Seven suspects have so far been arrested in connection with these politically motivated incidents.
“These arrests demonstrate that those responsible for politically motivated violence will be pursued relentlessly.
“We once again warn anyone intending to destabilise the electoral environment or intimidate political parties, candidates or communities through violence that law enforcement is ready,” said Mosikili.