Question NW107 to the Minister of Home Affairs
22 February 2023 - NW107
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)Whether, with regard to the recent arrest of an alleged Mozambican national, Mr Esmael Malude Ramos Nangy, in an upmarket estate in Centurion, and in light of reports that the alleged human trafficking kingpin was in possession of multiple bank cards for South African banks as well as other documentation, any paperwork and/or documentation of his department allowed the specified person to reside in the Republic; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether, with regard to alleged syndicates run by illegal foreign nationals who are dealing in the trafficking of humans and drugs, the hijacking of buildings and the smuggling of illicit goods and stolen vehicles, his department has any plan in place to identify the criminals and act against such criminality, which is now rife within the borders of the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the plan; (3) what (a) total number of foreign nationals were deported in 2022 and (b) is the breakdown of the specified figure in terms of country of origin?
Reply:
1. According to departmental system, Mr Esmael Maulide Ramos Nangy, is a Mozambican national holder of a non-South African Identity document. He applied for permanent residence permits in 1991 for himself and family which were subsequently issued in 1992.
The arrest of Mr Esmael Maulide Ramos Nangy was as per warrant of arrest and extradition request by the government of Mozambique through INTERPOL, where he is alleged to be linked to multiple kidnappings criminal activities.
There is no information at the disposal of the department that link him to be involved as the kingpin in human trafficking activities as alleged. He is still in detention pending court appearance in court on 20 February 2023 for bail hearing and commencement of extradition process.
2. The department is primarily responsible for illegal migration and collaborates with the South African Police Service (SAPS) as a way of addressing any illegal activities including dealing with criminal syndicates, human trafficking and smuggling activities. This is done through enforcement operations guided by the Immigration Act that empowers police and immigration officers to detain persons suspected of being in contravention of the Act in order to verify their status. The department is running its own Siyasebenta operation which has targeted a number of areas such as security industry, mining and factories.
The Immigration Act regulates the immigration of legal status as well as the processes related to arrest, detention, prosecution and deportation of any person entering and remaining in the country illegally. This legislation retains the strong security border control and the use of law enforcement to manage migration inland and at ports of entry as well as manning of the borderline by the newly established Border Management Agency (BMA) in collaboration with South African National Defence (SANDF).
(3)(a) The total number of persons deported from Jan to Dec 2022 is 22258.
|
Month |
Number of deportees |
|
Jan 2022 |
1731 |
|
Feb 2022 |
2209 |
|
March 2022 |
2040 |
|
April 2022 |
1161 |
|
May 2022 |
1583 |
|
June 2022 |
1840 |
|
July 2022 |
1514 |
|
August 2022 |
1471 |
|
September 2022 |
1770 |
|
October 2022 |
1785 |
|
November 2022 |
2242 |
|
December 2022 |
2912 |
|
Total |
22258 |
(3)(b) The breakdown of country of origin of the highest numbers of foreign nationals deported in the calendar year from Jan to Dec 2022 are as follows:
|
Annual: Jan 2022 to Dec 2022 |
Nationality |
Number of deportees |
|
Mozambique |
7102 |
|
|
Zimbabwe |
5776 |
|
|
Lesotho |
4861 |
|
|
Malawi |
2907 |
|
|
Swaziland |
1149 |
END