The Gauteng authorities have confirmed that 154 people have been arrested following incidents arising from the anti-illegal immigration marches across the province.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni addressed the media on Wednesday, 1 July and highlighted that the police and other law enforcement agencies have taken action against individuals who exploited the marches to commit crime.
The media briefing was hosted by the Gauteng Provincial Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (PROVJOINTS), alongside Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, following province-wide demonstrations over illegal immigration.
“We have accounted 37 incidents with 154 arrests,” Mthombeni said.
“It means people, even if they are warned, they still commit these crimes. We are on phase three. You are forewarned again that anything which is unlawful, you’re going to be arrested. We’re going to add to these numbers.”
“We know we have got a challenge of migration, and we had a concern which we have raised relating to migration. We have emphasized that migration enforcement remains the responsibility of authorised state officials,” he said.
“We want members of the public that they may not conduct migration checks, demand identification documents, profile individuals or take enforcement action, as such conduct constitutes unlawful criminal conduct.”
The commissioner revealed that authorities had confiscated eight firearms during operations linked to the protests, including six unlicensed firearms.
