R600m for illegal immigration protests sparks outrage

South Africans are reacting with disbelief after Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia revealed that policing operations linked to planned anti-illegal immigration protests could cost the state more than R600 million, money many believe should instead be spent on addressing the country’s pressing challenges.

During a media briefing on Monday, 22 June, Cachalia said the South African Police Service (SAPS) was preparing for the planned 30 June demonstrations and any potential unrest that may accompany them. “I can tell you that it’s going to cost the South African Police Service over R600 million,” he said.

While government has clarified that the money is earmarked for security operations and not for undocumented migrants themselves, the announcement has struck a nerve with many South Africans who feel the country cannot afford such expenditure. The figure quickly became a talking point on social media, with frustrated citizens questioning how government could find hundreds of millions of rand for emergency deployments while communities continue to grapple with unemployment, poverty, crime and poor service delivery.

Media personality and activist Jacinta Zuma said she was deeply disappointed by the announcement. She said the briefing sounded more like a threat than a response to the concerns being raised by ordinary South Africans. Zuma further said the government is failing to address what many citizens believe is the real issue, illegal immigration and the impact it has on struggling communities.

“Foreign nationals are obtaining documents illegally and placing themselves into our systems with ease. If the government wants to threaten anyone, it should be illegal immigrants,” she said.

Activist Mongezi Mabhena echoed similar sentiments, saying South Africans pay taxes with the expectation that public funds will be used to create jobs, strengthen healthcare, improve education and expand social services. “Instead, it appears that the money will be used to fight the very people who contributed to those funds,” he said. Mabhena argued that government should remember that its mandate comes from the electorate. “We have been in this situation since 1994, when the National Party was replaced. As South Africans, we do not owe the ANC-led government anything. They are in power because of our votes,” he said.

He added that the briefing appeared to be directed at citizens who are frustrated by the country’s ongoing challenges. “Is complaining about illegal immigration a crime? What is the ANC benefiting from by hosting illegal immigrants in the country? It feels like the state is turning against the very people who voted for it to be in power. That’s what it looks like,” said Mabhena. One South African woman, who has been unemployed since graduating with a law degree in 2014, said she became emotional when she heard that more than R600 million could be spent on preparations for the 30 June demonstrations.

She said she has lived in a shack her entire life and pursued higher education in the hope of improving her circumstances, only to remain unemployed more than a decade later. “R600 million is set to be spent by the South African government on 30 June while our Under-20 athletes cannot travel to Oregon in August due to a lack of funding. Families have been waiting years for RDP houses, hospitals are running out of medication and thousands of graduates remain unemployed,” she said. “Yet the government has the audacity to call for more police officers and soldiers to deal with South Africans instead of using those resources to address the country’s pressing challenges and tackle illegal immigration.”