Jozi belongs to everyone, Mayor tells stakeholders

07 February 2017

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba has clarified his position on the issue of illegal immigrants living in the city, which was widely reported in the media following the completion of his administration’s first 100 days in office in December last year.

 

Addressing an inner city stakeholder meeting on Monday February 6, Mayor Mashaba said his views were wrongly portrayed in newspapers when he was purported to have said foreigners must kicked out of the city.

“I’ve tried so hard to clarify this matter ... I think people listen to me and interpret things their own way. Then it becomes really difficult,” he said.

He said South Africa’s survival was dependent on the rule of law. “I would like people from all over the world to come and invest in the City of Johannesburg and enjoy the beauty that we have to offer,” he told the meeting.

“However, we want people to come to our country legally and they must be willing to respect our laws just like all South Africans are expected to do. I repeat that it’s very important for people to do things right. We must respect the rule of law,” he said.

Mayor Mashaba said it was a constitutional requirement for a child to be registered after birth and to have an ID when they turned 16. He said it was not unfair when South Africans asked anyone who wanted to come into the country to do so legally.

“When we raise this issue of illegal immigrants people want to interpret it their way. Unfortunately, this country is going to plunge into chaos because people don’t want to understand the importance of doing the right thing,” said Mashaba.

“The City of Johannesburg is sitting with challenges of high unemployment, deplorable living conditions and a high crime rate. The numbers are staggering and the numbers are increasing on a daily basis. Until such time that we can intervene‚ this situation will one day get out of control‚” said Mashaba.

He asked residents to support him in bringing order to the city.

“We know our competences as a city. That’s why I’ll keep on asking our national government to assist us in making sure that our borders are controlled. This is our stand as the City of Johannesburg and it’s not going to change,” said Mayor Mashaba.