Cabinet reiterates that raids targeted criminals

THE Cabinet emphasised again on Thursday that the recent raids conducted by the police and soldiers on communities in and around Johannesburg were not targeting foreign nationals but were a response to complaints about crime hotspots.

The raids, which have been carried out under the banner of Operation Fiela Reclaim 2015, have come under heavy criticism for having potentially infringed on human rights and targeting migrants.

Acting government spokeswoman Phumla Williams told a post-Cabinet meeting briefing that Operation Fiela "aims to deal with issues of criminality such as illegal weapons, drug dens, prostitution rings and other illegal activities".

"Cabinet reiterates that this operation is not targeted at foreign nationals, instead it is targeted at the criminality within our country as unmasked through a series of consultations with communities. To this effect, Cabinet dismisses in the strongest terms the assertion that this operation is targeted at foreign nationals".

SA prided itself on having the best and most liberal Constitution in the world, "we have taken a centre stage on human rights issues, as such we cannot authorise an operation that will violate the human rights of any individuals or groups", she said.

The Cabinet was satisfied with progress made through Operation Fiela. Since its inception the operation had resulted in the arrest of dozens of foreigners.

The People Coalition Against Xenophobia has raised the alarm about the potential harm the operation could do to foreign nationals living in poor communities where xenophobia is rife.

The group, which encompasses Lawyers for Human Rights, won an important legal concession this week when the Johannesburg High Court granted it an order allowing it access to migrants who had been detained during the raids.

The coalition has not only slammed the government for deploying the state’s security arsenal in targeted raids but also questioned the timing because of the recent spate of xenophobic violence.