Ramaphosa Pledges Tighter Borders and Dedicated Courts as Anti-Foreigner Protests Spread

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on migration as anti-foreigner protests spread across Gauteng and the Western Cape, pledging tighter border control, dedicated courts to speed deportations of undocumented migrants, and a firm line that only authorised officials may enforce immigration law. He said the Border Management Authority intercepted more than 450,000 irregular entrants over the past year.

Ramaphosa rejected vigilantism and warned against groups exploiting genuine economic anxieties to incite lawlessness, while acknowledging weaknesses in how migration has been managed. The address landed as several African states, including Ghana, organised repatriation flights for citizens choosing to leave. For the African diaspora across the region, the episode is a sober reminder that intra-African mobility remains contested even as leaders invoke Pan-African unity.

Source: The Presidency (South Africa); Daily Maverick.