South Africa Police Arrest 16 Foreign Nationals Over Counterfeit Goods, Damaged Infrastructure

• Two undocumented foreign nationals were convicted and sentenced to a combined six years and three months in prison for damaging essential infrastructure
• South African police arrested three foreign nationals in Musina over counterfeit clothing, while a fourth was nabbed for allegedly attempting to bribe officers
• Operation Basadi led to the arrest of 13 undocumented foreign nationals and the seizure of 438 items on the N4 Road near Nkomazi Toll Plaza

South African police have welcomed the conviction of two undocumented foreign nationals sentenced to a combined six years and three months in prison for damaging essential infrastructure at Three Sisters and for residing in the country without valid documentation.

Authorities confirmed the ruling late Friday and issued a warning that further offenders would be prosecuted.

The court further directed that both individuals be transferred to the Department of Home Affairs, Immigration Services, upon completing their sentences, to be deported to their respective countries of citizenship.

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In a separate operation on Thursday, 20 August 2026, police in the Musina area arrested three male foreign nationals for possessing and dealing in counterfeit clothing.

The suspects, two Ethiopian nationals and one Senegalese national, were charged under the Counterfeit Goods Act 37 of 1997 and made their first court appearance before a magistrate on the same day. They were remanded in custody pending a bail application and further investigation.

BBC reported that the fourth Ethiopian national, accused of attempting to bribe a police officer during the operation, was granted bail and is due back in court on Monday, 24 August 2026.

Officers confiscated counterfeit goods worth thousands of rands, as well as a significant sum of cash linked to the alleged bribe.

Operation Basadi Sweeps N4 Road

Also on 20 August, a police team conducting Operation Basadi established a roadblock on the N4 Road near the Nkomazi Toll Plaza, resulting in the arrest of 13 undocumented foreign nationals.

During the same operation, officers raided shops suspected of trading in counterfeit and illicit goods, seizing a total of 438 items, including cosmetics, mobile phone accessories, watches, toys and cigarettes.

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The latest enforcement actions follow a July 2026 crackdown in Gauteng province, where police arrested more than 1,200 suspects under Operation Shanela, among them 159 undocumented foreign nationals found in breach of South Africa's Immigration Act.

Anti-Immigration Group Sets September Deadline

Separately, the March and March movement, an anti-immigration group that has been staging protests since April 2026, announced 30 September as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa.

The announcement follows the group's nationwide protest on 30 June 2026, during which demonstrators marched through city streets demanding that foreign nationals vacate occupied buildings and that the government strengthen immigration controls.

The group said its September demonstration would adopt a new theme, urging African heads of state to "fetch their people."

Tensions between South Africa and Nigeria over the treatment of Nigerian nationals in the country, including deaths linked to xenophobic incidents and a dispute over the repatriation of citizens, have been previously reported.

Source: YEN.com.gh