Cape Town – Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has issued a warning to undocumented foreigners in South Africa, urging them to leave the country voluntarily or face deportation and possible future entry bans.
Speaking during the latest phase of Operation New Broom, a nationwide immigration enforcement campaign, Schreiber said:
“Operation New Broom demonstrates our commitment to work in a focused manner to restore the rule of law. Our message to people who are in our country illegally, is clear: voluntarily self-deport now, before Home Affairs deports you and bans you from entering South Africa altogether.”
Schreiber recently oversaw a crackdown in Nelson Mandela Bay, where 95 undocumented individuals were arrested in a single day. This followed earlier raids in areas such as Roodepoort, where 21 foreign nationals from countries, including Malawi, Zimbabwe, and China were detained.
Launched in May 2025, the operation targets illegal immigration using biometric verification tools such as fingerprint and facial recognition scanners to uncover fraudulent identity documents
Operation New Broom raided two facilities in NMB, securing dozens of arrests for deportation. First was a warehouse where illegal immigrants lived in deplorable conditions, followed by a large store employing foreigners without work authorisation. Enhancing the rule of law! 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/Gu1IjjVCRE
— Leon Schreiber (@Leon_Schreib) July 14, 2025
Picture: X/@Leon_Schreib
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
