More than 100 displaced undocumented migrants arrested in aftermath of Addo violence

More than 100 displaced undocumented migrant workers are likely to be deported on Friday after they were arrested by immigration officials over the weekend.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Mkholi confirmed that the men, who had been displaced by violence in Valencia near Addo the previous weekend, were now being kept at police stations around the Eastern Cape designated for the detention of undocumented foreigners pending deportation.

The Department of Home Affairs, despite several requests, has refused to comment on its operations. 

Valencia, near Addo, lies in the heart of the Sundays River Valley’s citrus district. Every year, thousands of migrant workers, many of them foreign nationals, come to the small town to help with the citrus harvest.

While there have been no problems for many years, a local man, Juanne September (22), was stabbed to death after a fight broke out during a pool game in a local tavern at the end of May.

September’s death sparked what is alleged to be a spate of vigilante justice attacks on random foreign nationals in Valencia, leading to the deaths of three people who were stabbed and beaten to death. Attempted murder cases have been opened in 10 cases where men were injured. 

Read more: Xenophobic violence breaks out in Addo after murder — three dead, 10 injured

After these attacks, all foreign nationals, both documented and undocumented, were given 24 hours to leave Valencia. 

The situation appears to have since stabilised. Karen Smith from the Sundays River Valley Municipality confirmed on Monday that police had escorted some foreign nationals back to salvage what was left of belongings they abandoned while fleeing for their lives.

Ward councillor for Valencia Xolani Jomo confirmed that peace had returned to Valencia.

Displaced women, children and some men have been given shelter at a church in Pier 14 in Nelson Mandela Bay.

However, immigration officials arrested 126 men still sheltering at the Addo Police Station on Friday. Daily Maverick has confirmed with Department of Home Affairs sources and NGOs assisting in the situation that they had appeared in court and been served with deportation notices. 

While there were claims that the undocumented foreigners had been detained without receiving food, Mkholi said this was untrue.

He confirmed, however, that NGOs bringing food parcels for those detained had been turned away. 

“I can confirm that they are held in our holding cells at a number of designated police stations in the Eastern Cape. They are held for the purpose of being deported. In the SAPS, there is a directive that we don’t accept food parcels for detainees.”

He said that while the men had received shelter at the police station, before being detained, they had allowed members of the public and NGOs to feed them because they had not been detainees.

 “Now it is a different case. We haven’t taken the food brought by NGOs, but it is not true that they are not being fed. They are receiving three meals a day.”

It is understood that there will be a high-level meeting on Wednesday to see what further steps can be taken to normalise the situation. 

Mkholi said two more charges, intimidation and conspiracy to commit crime, had been added to the investigations by the team looking into the death of September and the attacks on migrant workers. He said there had been no arrests. DM