KZN Raid Finds No Undocumented Foreign Nationals After Alleged Leak
A multidisciplinary operation targeting hundreds of allegedly undocumented foreign nationals working at factories in KwaSithebe, north of KwaZulu-Natal, has ended without any arrests after officials found no undocumented foreign nationals at the sites.
Officials from the KwaZulu-Natal government, police and other state entities conducted the operation on Monday morning after receiving intelligence that hundreds of undocumented foreign nationals were allegedly being employed illegally at factories in the KwaSithebe industrial area in Mandeni.
However, when the officials arrived at the targeted factories, they did not find any undocumented foreign nationals.
The outcome has prompted allegations that details of the operation were leaked before the raid.
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Factory workers who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed information about the planned operation had circulated on Sunday night.
“There are people who told the Chinese owners that they are coming today. When we came to work today, we were turned back and told that people from the police, labour and government were coming,” one worker said.
KZN To Investigate Alleged Leak
The KwaZulu-Natal government said it would investigate the alleged leak to determine how details of the labour compliance operation may have been disclosed before officials arrived.
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The investigation is expected to examine how information about the operation was communicated and whether anyone involved in the planning or execution of the raid disclosed details prematurely.
The government has not identified anyone as responsible for the alleged leak.
Ntuli Calls For Investigation
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli said it was important for the circumstances surrounding the failed operation to be established to prevent similar incidents in future.
“We want to know what really happened and who in fact leaked the operation. I know the police; it’s their work. They know how to follow up on that one, and they will also share the information on what might have happened and who really leaked the information. Our office will also have to analyse who did they engage so we can put the dots together,” Ntuli said.
The operation forms part of government efforts to enforce labour and immigration requirements at workplaces, although the allegations concerning undocumented workers at the targeted factories remain unproven.
The investigation into the alleged leak will now determine whether information about Monday’s operation was disclosed and, if so, how that information reached the targeted businesses.
