‘We’ll make space for your children’: Nomvula Mokonyane on illegal foreigners ‘getting RDPs’

The ANC has promised to remove undocumented foreign nationals from government-funded houses in Barberton, Mpumalanga.

First deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane made the pledge on Sunday while campaigning door-to-door, ahead of the 4 November municipal elections.

The ANC has been working to keep control of municipalities in Mpumalanga. As voters prepare for elections in less than a month, political parties are competing for the same supporters.

During her walkabout, Mokonyane raised several issues, including urging residents to protect women and children.

To convince supporters of what the ANC has done in the municipalities it governs, she claimed the party’s councils had made progress on water.

Residents in Barberton have been plagued by water issues, including outages from illegal mining and safety alerts about nearby dams such as the Senteeko Dam, also referred to as “My Own Dam”, which has been at risk of wall collapse.

Residents complain about land and housing

Mokonyane discussed illegal immigration with a resident. She told the woman what the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, expected from councils.

“Ramaphosa said municipalities must work with the national government to ensure that foreign nationals do not arrive here illegally,” Mokonyane told the resident.

The resident responded by blaming South Africans in government for giving land to illegal foreigners. She also said the area was overcrowded with foreigners.

“Our children have passed on not receiving any land even after they registered, but the foreign nationals are now extending [their houses],” the resident complained.

Mokonyane says handing over houses is illegal

Mokonyane acknowledged what the woman was saying and stated that it was illegal for foreign nationals to be sold or given government housing like RDPs.

The ANC deputy SG promised that the ANC would take action against the illegal migration issue.

“We will call meetings, and when we see them, we will work together with the community and chase them out of the houses to make space for your children,” she said.

Furthermore, speaking to Newzroom Afrika, she said South Africans who gave houses to undocumented foreigners should also be found and told they were breaking the law.

“The law doesn’t allow that.”

She said that the complaints showed voters agreed with the ANC.

“It’s so good because it shows that our position resonates very well with the views of South Africans”.

Bylaws, crime and border control

According to Mokonyane, bylaws also needed to be enforced against South Africans who helped undocumented people.

She told shop owners not to rent their premises to foreign nationals.

“If you run your spaza shop or your old family shop, don’t rent it out to a non-South African,” said Mokonyane.

She said drug dealers used houses owned by South Africans, and urged citizens to resist being “coerced into doing wrong things”.

Furthermore, Mokonyane placed responsibility for border security on government.

“Let government manage the borders, manage the entry points, and deal with the internal problems that are there within every institution that has to deal with the movement of illegal foreigners,” said Mokonyane.

Watch: Mokonyane door-to-door campaign for the ANC ahead of local elections

[WATCH] The ANC is pulling out all the stops to retain control of municipalities in Mpumalanga. The party’s first deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane, is leading a campaign in Barberton today, where she attended a church service and is embarking on a door-to-door campaign. Newzroom Afrika’s Mweli Masilela reports. #Newzroom405

– Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405)

October 11, 2026