Home affairs committee chair calls for calm ahead of June 30 protests

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Mosa Chabane, chair of parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs, called on South Africans demonstrating towards and beyond June 30 to exercise restraint and calm, and voice their “legitimate concerns” within the confines of the law.Addressing the media in parliament’s National Council of Provinces library on Thursday, Chabane said South Africans have a right to protest, which is protected by the constitution.“South Africans are not xenophobic. I think it is a call parliament has been making to all stakeholders, and we have been clear around that line. We must emphasise all South Africans, including members of parliament and the media, are empowered by the constitution to raise our grievances, but we must do that within the confines of the law.”Organisations, including March and March, have given undocumented foreign nationals until next Tuesday to leave the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa has slammed suggestions of the deadline’s validity and warned against criminality, violence and destruction of property.Chabane expressed confidence in the ability of the security cluster of government departments to maintain order on June 30 and beyond the end of the month, and said only those who disregard and break the law should be concerned about next week’s activities.“All of us, even those who are going to march, are going to be protected. But they must march within the guidelines of the law. We share the concerns of South Africans where it relates to any individual who undermines the constitution.”Chabane said challenges around migration, including fraudulent documents and syndicates that peddle them, needed urgent attention. He said he was encouraged by an interim report from the Special Investigating Unit that shows an increase in arrests, convictions and prosecutions for dealing in fraudulent documents.Asylum appeal case backlogs remain a concern. “The success of the interventions must be measured by a reduction of cases and adjudication within reasonable timeframes. The committee commends President Ramaphosa for his clear leadership and the deployment of special envoys to manage bilateral and multilateral relations.”The chair of the portfolio committee on correctional services, Kgomotso Ramolobeng, called for updates to migration legislation to be expedited so a memorandum of agreement South Africa has with Botswana on the repatriation of offenders can be consistent throughout the region.TimesLIVE