As tensions around immigration continue to intensify in South Africa, and enforcement operations expand across multiple sectors, authorities raided two Chinese-owned textile factories in Newcastle on Friday, 5 June 2026.
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According to reports, the raid resulted in the arrest of one Chinese national, alongside more than two dozen undocumented foreign nationals.
The Department of Employment and Labour confirmed that the multidisciplinary operation was led by Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Jomo Sibiya, together with Home Affairs Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza and Police Deputy Minister Polly Boshielo.
Their joint involvement points to a coordinated enforcement drive, particularly in sectors where repeated compliance failures have drawn sustained government attention. It also reflects a more centralised inspection approach, bringing labour, immigration and policing authorities into the same enforcement framework.
While officials did not release further operational details, the Department confirmed that the inspection led to the apprehension of 26 undocumented workers from Malawi, eSwatini and Lesotho, along with their Chinese employer.
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According to the Department, the arrests were linked to several labour law contraventions, including alleged breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS), the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), and Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) regulations.
The Department further attributed the success of the operation to the coordinated efforts of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Labour Inspectors and Immigration Officers.
This latest development cannot be viewed in isolation. It follows earlier findings in Newcastle, where a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour inspection uncovered textile factories operating under conditions consistent with sweatshop practices.
During that inquiry, workers were found to be subjected to unlawful and exploitative working conditions, with undocumented immigrants forming part of the workforce.
The matter later drew wider public scrutiny after links emerged between these operations and major South African retailers, including The Foschini Group and Pick n Pay, extending concerns beyond factory compliance to broader corporate supply chains.
Against this backdrop, and as enforcement activity continues to intensify alongside growing public concern, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday, 7 June 2026.
He outlined government’s position on undocumented migration, placing it within the wider context of labour regulation, enforcement capacity, corruption and social stability.
According to Ramaphosa, Cabinet adopted a Comprehensive Approach for Migration Management during the preceding week.
The framework is intended to strengthen enforcement against violations of immigration and labour laws, while also addressing the systemic corruption that enables such violations to continue.
“The Department of Home Affairs, Border Management Authority, South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies have been and will intensify the process of identifying and deporting undocumented foreign nationals residing illegally in South Africa. In the past year alone, the Border Management Authority managed to intercept and stop over 450,000 people who were attempting to enter South Africa illegally,” said Ramaphosa, adding that government will establish dedicated courts to expedite immigration cases and support the deportation process.
Enforcement is also being directed more firmly at employers.
The South African Police Service, together with Home Affairs and the Department of Employment and Labour, is scaling up inspections targeting companies suspected of employing undocumented foreign nationals.
“As part of rebuilding the labour enforcement capacity, the Department of Employment and Labour has launched the phased recruitment of 10,000 inspectors for this financial year. We are going to increase the penalties, including imprisonment, for employers who violate the Immigration Act. We cannot have a situation where employers who, after being charged and found guilty of violating our laws, merely pay a fine and continue employing undocumented foreign nationals whom they exploit,” emphasised the President.
Meanwhile, in response to persistent compliance failures within the transport sector, government is implementing a targeted intervention plan developed in collaboration with the logistics and freight industry, as well as organised labour.
The aim is to close regulatory gaps in a sector that remains central to the functioning of the national economy.
Government will also proceed with the phased relocation of refugee reception centres to border posts, beginning with the Tshwane centre this year.
“Many other countries have refugee reception centres close to the place where refugees enter the country seeking asylum or refuge. The relocation of refugee reception centres closer to our borders is intended to ensure that asylum applications are processed more efficiently, more securely and more fairly,” said the President.
Ramaphosa further reaffirmed that corruption within the Department of Home Affairs remains a major enabler of illegal immigration.
“We must recognise that illegal immigration is often enabled by corruption. Officials who sell documents, facilitate unlawful entry or abuse public office for personal gain betray the trust of the South African people. We will pursue these cases relentlessly. Those responsible are facing dismissal, criminal prosecution and the full consequences of the law. We are establishing an Intelligent Population Register that contains biometric data for every person in the country, laying the foundation for a Digital ID,” stressed Ramaphosa.
Taken together, the Newcastle raid and the broader national enforcement measures outlined by government signal a clear tightening of immigration and labour oversight.
The developments point to a shift towards sustained, coordinated enforcement rather than isolated interventions, with immediate consequences for employers operating outside the framework of labour and immigration law.
They also indicate an expanding enforcement system, as inspections are intensified, penalties are strengthened, and compliance mechanisms are reinforced across multiple sectors.
In practical terms, employers now face increasing pressure to ensure strict adherence to both immigration and labour regulations as the state moves towards a more assertive enforcement posture.
That raid was just a cover up,We know that employees has rented houses at Ncandu, Emajuba park, Barry and lennixton.Some are rented by employers for their illegal immigrants workers.There is a complex near Amcor dam where illegal immigrants workers resides
Apparent in days of past sweatshops but it’s slowly eradicated via knowledge training and educating the foreign nationals who do not understand labour laws or are defeating the ends of Justice by labour law infractions.. Those employees without work permits are basically the skills that this employer requires from people from Eswatini Lesotho etc known to be gainfully employed in other legitimate textile manufacturing facilities here in Newcastle South Africa 🇿🇦.. Chinese investment last year 2025 total $80 billion dollars in Pretoria establishing a Chinese enclave with residential dwellings cinema shopping mall etc .. project is first phase up and running..do not deter foreign investment or investors from abroad in opening much needed employment in South Africa 🇿🇦 wth willing trusted assets from Eswatini Lesotho etc in the textile hub of Newcastle.. those without paper’s get them immigration documents fill out form assist with creating employment opportunities and factories that succeed in a global market… Gov’t subsidies and tax leeway to factory owners as with regards to subsidies for workers salaries to be taken into account accordingly as per each factory owners Gov’t incentives created specifically to encourage foreign investment and foreign monetary exchange which makes countries stronger financially.. SME small business enterprise hawkers foreign nationals spaza tuck shop owner’s are the pivotal driving force In rolling South Africa 🇿🇦 economy positively forward.. think
The challenge is that officials just seek out bribes. Anyone who works with these departments knows that is the goal everyday, to get paid off. They do not care about the law, or people. Most of them are extremely racist and speak openly about their feelings on these immigrant-based businesses. But like with anything related to the failed state of south africa’s woke government, we must all just pretend like they are doing their jobs and are innocent in all of this.
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3 Responses
That raid was just a cover up,We know that employees has rented houses at Ncandu, Emajuba park, Barry and lennixton.Some are rented by employers for their illegal immigrants workers.There is a complex near Amcor dam where illegal immigrants workers resides
Apparent in days of past sweatshops but it’s slowly eradicated via knowledge training and educating the foreign nationals who do not understand labour laws or are defeating the ends of Justice by labour law infractions.. Those employees without work permits are basically the skills that this employer requires from people from Eswatini Lesotho etc known to be gainfully employed in other legitimate textile manufacturing facilities here in Newcastle South Africa 🇿🇦.. Chinese investment last year 2025 total $80 billion dollars in Pretoria establishing a Chinese enclave with residential dwellings cinema shopping mall etc .. project is first phase up and running..do not deter foreign investment or investors from abroad in opening much needed employment in South Africa 🇿🇦 wth willing trusted assets from Eswatini Lesotho etc in the textile hub of Newcastle.. those without paper’s get them immigration documents fill out form assist with creating employment opportunities and factories that succeed in a global market… Gov’t subsidies and tax leeway to factory owners as with regards to subsidies for workers salaries to be taken into account accordingly as per each factory owners Gov’t incentives created specifically to encourage foreign investment and foreign monetary exchange which makes countries stronger financially.. SME small business enterprise hawkers foreign nationals spaza tuck shop owner’s are the pivotal driving force In rolling South Africa 🇿🇦 economy positively forward.. think
The challenge is that officials just seek out bribes. Anyone who works with these departments knows that is the goal everyday, to get paid off. They do not care about the law, or people. Most of them are extremely racist and speak openly about their feelings on these immigrant-based businesses. But like with anything related to the failed state of south africa’s woke government, we must all just pretend like they are doing their jobs and are innocent in all of this.