{
  "id": 9404970,
  "title": "Parties differ on documenting illegal immigrants for traceability",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/parties-differ-on-documenting-illegal-immigrants-for-traceability",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T19:42:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/actionsa-sacp-weigh-in-on-whether-to-document-illegal-immigrants/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The debate surrounding documenting illegal immigrants in South Africa is ongoing, with different political parties holding varying opinions on the matter. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba advocates for deportation as the solution, arguing that no country should accept illegal foreigners. However, he does not support the idea of documenting illegal immigrants for traceability purposes. On the other hand, South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary Solly Mapaila believes that addressing illegal immigration is not the solution to the country's socio-economic challenges. Instead, he asserts that the failure of the capitalist system and the government's collaboration with it are the primary issues. According to Statistics South Africa, the 2022 census indicates that between 2.4 and 3.1 million immigrants, both documented and undocumented, reside in South Africa. The Department of Home Affairs has reported 109,344 deportations since the formation of the Government of National Unity. In response to recent anti-illegal immigration protests, the number of deportations has increased. Both Mashaba and Mapaila agree that undocumented immigrants should be documented and returned to their home countries. However, Mapaila argues that focusing on illegal immigration as the root cause of South Africa's problems is misguided. Instead, the focus should be on addressing the failures of capitalism and the government's inability to tackle economic issues. In a similar vein, South Africa has previously documented undocumented immigrants through the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP).",
  "summary": "ActionSA, SACP weigh in on whether to document illegal immigrants",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}