ANC not responsible for foreigner influx: Mbalula

Rivals point fingers over Soweto chaos

ANC election head Fikile Mbalula has told Soweto residents that his party won’t take responsibility for the high number of illegal immigrants in Johannesburg.

Mbalula said this during his visit to White City, Soweto, which was rocked by violence and looting of shops owned by foreigners last week.

“We can’t be taking responsibility for anything. We were governing here. We are no longer [the] government in Johannesburg,” he said.

“We take responsibility in helping our people to get out of the difficulties.

“Our government can do better to ensure that the environment that is regulated is able to address the concerns of our people. People did not just wake up and fight. There is something that prompted that fight,” Mbalula said.

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has repeatedly blamed the national government for failing to act to protect the country’s borders to ensure no undocumented migrants were in the city.

Mashaba has vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants and even labelled them criminals.

Mbalula said locals were facing difficulties in the local economy in terms of competition in the retail sector and spaza shops.

“Well-known business people in these areas who were doing business and running spaza shops have collapsed. That has led us to where we are.

“Those who came in are selling cheaper goods and that kills the local economy. This conflict that has erupted here is something that we as the ANC need to address,” Mbalula said.