Fifteen undocumented foreign nationals were arrested in Chatsworth on Wednesday.
Image: KZN SAPS
The owner of a factory in Chatsworth and fifteen undocumented foreign nationals have been arrested in an operation, police have confirmed.
The arrests took place as the police, along with inspectors from the Department of Employment and Labour and immigration officials from the Department of Home Affairs were conducting compliance inspections in Chatsworth on Wednesday.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial police said in a media statement on Thursday that five factories were inspected and one factory was found to have illegally employed 15 foreign nationals.
“After verification by Home Affairs, all 15 foreign nationals were found to be in the country illegally, and they were duly arrested. The owner of the factory was also arrested for employing undocumented foreign nationals.”
The arrests came as the police with Home Affairs and Labour department officials conduct compliance inspections at businesses in the province.
Image: KZN SAPS
The police said the operation is part of an ongoing programme of action by the police and other state actors, including the Department of Home Affairs and Employment and Labour which are aimed at stamping the authority of the state.
The police said the work was aimed at ensuring “there is no lawlessness in the business sector which directly or indirectly compromises the livelihood of South Africans”.
The operations are expected to continue across KwaZulu-Natal.
The action comes after KZN Premier Thami Ntuli warned that business owners will face immediate arrest if they are found to be employing undocumented foreign nationals
Ntuli argued at the time that the "normalisation" of illegal immigration undermines the integrity of the state and facilitates criminal syndicates involved in human trafficking, drug smuggling, and unlicensed firearms.
"When borders are disregarded, it is not compassion that prevails, but criminal syndicates that exploit desperation," Ntuli said.
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