Joburg Mayor: ‘I’ll deport illegal immigrants’

By Mia Lindeque | EyeWitness News |

 Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has told Eyewitness News that he’s going to court to force the deportation of undocumented foreigners in the city.

Mashaba says that his lawyers will launch a High Court application against newly appointed Home Affairs Minister Ayanda Dlodlo next week.

This is part of Mashaba’s plan to clean up the CBD in particular and reclaim buildings owned by the city.

Mashaba says he has been asking the Home Affairs Department to simply do its job and believes that fighting it in court is the last available option.

“We’re under chaos now, people are running all over the show with no documentation, so I want to bring back the rule of law.”

He says that with regards to evictions, he has a duty to provide alternative accommodation only to South Africans.

“Four to five months down the line, I’m going to have an issue, so I’m dealing with this up front.”

Earlier this year, the department denied claims that it had asked the city not to arrest any more illegal immigrants due to overcrowded prisons. EyeWitness News