Metro

Operation Dudula hits Durban: Anti-migrants campaigns intensify in South Africa

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2022

Activities of the anti-migrants group, Operation Dudula have hit a new height as protesters marched through the streets of Durban demanding that the government take strong action to deal with high numbers of illegal immigrants.

Controversial groups, the Alexandra Dudula Movement and Operation Dudula, last month, started campaigns against undocumented foreign nationals and the campaigns have been supported by South African communities who feel marginalized.

The National Secretary of Operation Dudula, Zandile Dabula said “the issues are that people are coming into the country and they are not documented and the government is doing nothing about it, and it’s difficult to find them when they commit a crime. We just need our departments to actually enforce the laws that are there, because these laws are not enforced.”

A Pew Research poll conducted in 2018 showed that 62% of South Africans viewed immigrants as a burden on society by taking jobs and social benefits and that 61% of South Africans thought that immigrants were more responsible for crime than other groups.

The Deputy Chairperson of the movement, Dan Radebe, revealed that the protest moved to Durban because it houses the busiest harbour in the Southern African Development Community.

“That is the very same harbour they are using as the point of entry for all the fake goods that have flooded our country, killing our textile industry which then affects the unemployment rate as well.” Radebe added.

The recent rise in anti-immigrant campaigns in South Africa has left immigrants and refugees fearing for their safety. Understandably because of a history of Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, however, Operation Dudula thinks otherwise.

“I don’t understand why we should be called xenophobic because all we are asking is that people need to be documented when they come to this country. It’s done in other countries but people are not called xenophobic, but why are we being called xenophobic when South Africans are doing it?”

The United Nations International Organization for Migration, says between 2010 and 2017, the immigrant community in South Africa increased from 2 million people to 4 million people.The proportion of South Africa’s total population that is foreign-born increased from 2.8% in 2005 to 7% in 2019.

Related Topics:Featured immigrant Operation Dudula South Africa

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Metro

Zambian govt snubs transparency calls, says no law compels President Hichilema to declare assets annually

Published

13 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

The Chief spokesman for the Zambian government, Cornelius Mweetwa, has countered calls for President Hakainde Hichilema to declare his assets every year, saying there is no law in the country that compels the president to do so.

The calls had come from the US Ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales, who urged Hichilema and Vice President Mutale Nalumango to consider declaring their assets annually until their term in office expired so ass to set an example for all other public servants to emulate.

However, Mweetwa, at a press conference in Lusaka on Tuesday, said Zambia had no law compelling a sitting Head of State to declare his or her assets annually.

Mweetwa said the only law which required a declaration of assets was the Electoral Commission of Zambia during the filing of nominations, though there was no requirement for publication of same.

While addressing the gathering, the government spokesman alleged that the previous government of the Patriotic Front (PF) had removed the clause from the Constitution following a debate on the accumulation of wealth by former President Edgar Lungu university within a year of his presidency.

“You will all recall that the previous government eliminated Article 30 which provided previously that such declaration should be made public,” Mweetwa stated.

Mweetwa also alleged that the PF left the country with a “Constitution full of either lacunas or provisions that are plugging and negating good governance.”

“Talks to amend the Constitution were orchestrated by our colleagues in the opposition and they wanted to u-turn over the same,” he said, but however, expressing shock over the alleged u-turn by the opposition.

Metro

Nigeria set to begin passport automation

Published

18 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that the automation of the country’s passport application is in its final stages.

In an interview, the minister stated that the automated application was 99% complete and would go live in a week, adding that Nigerians would only need to visit immigration centres to complete their fingerprint biometrics for passports after that point.

Ojo went on to say that Nigerians can upload their passport photos and other supporting documents using the new system from the comfort of their homes.

The minister said: “We gave a date — December 2023. We are 99 per cent done. In fact, we have done the testing and we should be going live in the next week or thereabouts.

“This will ensure that what Nigerians need to do at an immigration centre is just fingerprint biometrics.

“Everything regarding pre-biometrics will be done in the comfort of your homes, including uploading passport photographs and supporting documents.

“They went live about two weeks ago but I saw some errors when they came to do the presentation and I said no. We were talking about balancing national security and convenience.”

Nigeria’s passport system has been characterised by racketeering, logistics failure, and poor due diligence which have frustrated many, home and abroad, in their quest to own their entitlement as Nigerian citizens.