Hundreds of alleged undocumented workers have fled a construction site in Riverside, north of Johannesburg, after law enforcement officers descended on the property in a high-impact blitz operation.
Deputy Employment and Labour Minister Jomo Sibiya has admitted that authorities were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people at the site and conceded that the operation was not properly planned.
Sibiya said at least 300 alleged undocumented workers were found at the construction site, with many escaping by jumping over walls and running into an open area as police moved in.
“We didn’t quite plan properly, we must say it openly. We don’t fear to criticise ourselves.”
Despite the mass escape, Sibiya insisted that the operation was not a failure.
He said authorities would now rethink their strategy and bring in more law enforcement agencies to deal with the site.
“We need more law enforcement agencies to come and deal with this site, but also it is a site that has quite a number of exit points.”
Sibiya said the scale of the operation was “quite extreme”.
“We are going to replan and restrategise. What we have seen here is quite extreme. There are no less than 300 immigrants who are working here.”
Authorities managed to arrest 41 alleged undocumented workers during the raid.
The operation brought together the South African Police Service, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, immigration officials and inspectors from the Department of Employment and Labour.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero also joined the operation, warning that labour laws must be enforced while workers’ rights are protected.
Morero said anyone working in South Africa must be legally documented, while those found to be in the country illegally should face deportation.
“Those who are in the country should be legal. Those who are undocumented and illegal must be deported.”
He also turned his attention to developers and employers who hire undocumented workers, accusing them of contributing to the country’s unemployment crisis.
The dramatic scenes at the construction site are likely to intensify calls for stronger coordination between law enforcement and immigration authorities during future blitz operations.
