Newcastle’s clothing and textile manufacturing sector is facing renewed attention from local authorities, following recent arrests linked to the alleged employment of undocumented foreign nationals in the town’s Riverside Industrial Area.
The matter comes as immigration and labour compliance operations intensify across South Africa, with national and municipal authorities placing greater focus on businesses operating in sectors where labour demand and migration enforcement often intersect.
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In Newcastle, the Local Municipality’s Local Economic Development Unit has started updating its database of Cut, Make and Trim (CMT) businesses operating in the area.
According to the entity, the process is aimed at giving the Municipality a clearer picture of the local clothing and textile manufacturing sector, while improving engagement with businesses active in the industry.
“All factory owners, clothing, manufacturing and textile owners, labour consultants, and relevant industry chambers are requested to submit the details of their respective businesses who operate in the Clothing Manufacturing and Textile industry operating within Newcastle by 17 June 2026,” explained the Local Economic Development Unit.
The Unit added that cooperation from business owners would assist the Municipality in understanding the industry, improving stakeholder engagement and developing targeted support programmes for the sector.
With the deadline set for 17 June 2026, clothing and textile businesses in Newcastle are now expected to submit their details as part of the municipal process.
While the database update has been presented as an economic development and support initiative, it also comes at a time when the sector is under increased attention following recent enforcement operations.
The developments in Newcastle are unfolding alongside similar business compliance checks in Endumeni, where municipal officials have begun inspections in Dundee and surrounding areas.
According to Endumeni Municipality, the inspections are being carried out in collaboration with the Traffic Department, Peace Officers and the Corporate Services Department. The teams are visiting businesses to check municipal trading regulations, permit requirements and applicable by-laws.
Businesses found operating without valid permits, or in breach of municipal regulations, face instructions to stop trading until they meet the necessary compliance requirements.
The inspections follow a community march that took place in Dundee on 9 June 2026. The march was led by Dundee Mayor Cllr Mkhize, the Make Dundee Live Again Movement and local residents, who delivered a memorandum to the Department of Home Affairs.
The memorandum raised concerns over undocumented foreign nationals and businesses allegedly operating outside municipal by-laws and regulatory frameworks.
Endumeni Municipality has since stated that inspections will continue as part of its efforts to maintain a safe, lawful and regulated business environment.
Moreover, the Municipality said the process is aimed at upholding fairness, accountability and compliance for residents, businesses and stakeholders.
The local action in Newcastle and Dundee forms part of a wider national enforcement drive, with government departments increasing operations linked to immigration, labour law compliance and border management.
According to figures released by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration, more than 40,000 illegal foreign nationals have been arrested since the start of 2026.
This includes more than 7,400 arrests in the past month alone.
The figures were presented during a media briefing on Sunday, 14 June 2026, where the IMC outlined government’s latest steps to strengthen immigration enforcement and border control.
The committee is chaired by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi. It brings together several departments, including Home Affairs, Small Business Development, Defence, International Relations and Cooperation, Employment and Labour, Basic Education, Higher Education and Training, and the South African Police Service.
In addition, the Departments of Transport, Trade, Industry and Competition, and Social Development are also being brought into the process.
Nevertheless, during the briefing, Kubayi said implementation of the President’s five-point migration strategy was already underway.
The strategy focuses on strengthened border security, reinforcing the rule of law, tackling corruption in the immigration system, addressing violence and lawlessness, and refining migration legislation.
She further explained that the strategy extends beyond South Africa’s borders through cooperation with neighbouring countries, as government works towards a more coordinated regional response to migration challenges.
On the ground, the Border Management Authority has deployed drones and body-worn cameras, while also expanding checkpoints along critical transport routes leading to major ports of entry.
“The BMA and its stakeholders have, on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, held an anti-corruption awareness campaign at Oshoek port of entry, the RSA-eSwatini border, to proactively address issues of corruption within the ports. In addition, the BMA and other law enforcement agencies have instituted static checkpoints or roadblocks at key corridors leading to the critical ports, such as Beitbridge, to ensure effective interception of anybody attempting to enter South Africa illegally,” she explained.
Kubayi further added that there was heightened vigilance across land, air and sea ports of entry.
She said intelligence-led operations, compliance inspections and coordinated enforcement efforts were continuing across departments, with authorities identifying, arresting and processing individuals found to be in the country unlawfully.
At the same time, multidisciplinary operations led by Deputy Ministers from Home Affairs, Police, and Employment and Labour have intensified in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
These operations are targeting workplaces and residential areas where breaches of immigration and labour laws are suspected.
In Mossel Bay, an inspection conducted on 3 June 2026 led to the arrest of 15 foreign nationals for immigration-related offences. Additionally, Kubayi also referred directly to a recent operation in Newcastle.
“In KZN, a multidisciplinary night operation was conducted on 4 June 2026 at two clothing manufacturing facilities operating at the same site in the Riverside Industrial Area, Newcastle, which resulted in the arrest of a business owner who had illegally employed undocumented migrants, who were also arrested. A similar operation was conducted in Tshwane, and 35 arrests were also made, including two employers who were arrested for employing undocumented foreign nationals. This is a demonstration that government is not turning a blind eye to illegal immigration and we are intensifying our efforts to bring it under control,” Kubayi said.
As previously reported by Newcastillian News, the Newcastle operation resulted in the apprehension of 26 undocumented workers from Malawi, eSwatini and Lesotho, together with their Chinese employer.
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With Newcastle’s CMT submission deadline now in place, and Endumeni continuing with business inspections, authorities appear to be moving beyond public warnings and into more structured follow-through.
In Newcastle, the Municipality is seeking to build a clearer database of clothing and textile businesses operating in the area. In Endumeni, inspection teams are checking permits, by-law compliance and trading requirements. At national level, immigration and labour enforcement operations are being coordinated across several departments.
As the 17 June 2026 deadline approaches, factory owners, textile operators, labour consultants and industry representatives will be expected to submit their business details to the Municipality, while broader enforcement operations continue across the province and country.
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