KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has once again warned employers to stop hiring illegal immigrants, saying that it is against the law and will land them in trouble.

Ntuli says the scourge of illegal immigration has effects on the economy of the province and other sectors.

He was speaking in Durban on Tuesday during a one-day multi-sectoral session engagement on social cohesion and immigration enforcement.

“I must, in fact, stamp the message from the State of the Nation Address (SONA), which was communicated by the President of the republic that all employers who are employing undocumented foreign nationals must be arrested, and there is no discussion around that because they know that what they do is illegal, they are breaking the law,” Ntuli warned.

He added that he wishes to stress that the crackdown on illegal immigrants and wayward employers is not driven by hate, but by the need to uphold the law and order.

“Let me be clear, this campaign is not driven by hostilities, but by our constitutional responsibility to uphold the law, safeguard community safety and protect local economic development,” he added.

Ntuli also told the gathering that the campaign called “Engangeni Ngesango Iyafohla”, where they target places known for hiring and sheltering illegal immigrants for sporadic raids, is beginning to bear fruits.

“The decisive community-driven action is aimed at enforcing compliance and restoring order. Through this campaign, multi-disciplinary teams had conducted operations in businesses, both large and small, while also engaging directly with communities. Hundreds of undocumented foreign nationals have been apprehended and action has been taken against employers found to be in violation of labour and immigration laws.”