Gqeberha – Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber led Operation New Broom on its first immigration enforcement raids in Nelson Mandela Bay, resulting in the arrest of at least 95 undocumented immigrants.
As part of Home Affairs’ drive to restore the rule of law, Minister Schreiber launched Operation New Broom in May to intensify enforcement operations in urban hotspots.
Numerous operations have already been conducted in Cape Town, Pretoria, and, now, Gqeberha.
The latest operation on Friday, 11 July 2025, took place in the Gqeberha Central Business District, Eastern Cape, where a dilapidated warehouse was found to be housing numerous illegal foreigners.
A Chinese-owned business was also found to be in contravention of a range of immigration laws.
“A total of 95 alleged illegal immigrants were detected and processed for deportation,” said the Department of Home Affairs.
Minister Schreiber said: “Operation New Broom demonstrates our commitment to work in a focused manner to restore the rule of law.
“Our message to people who are in our country illegally is clear: voluntarily self-deport now, before Home Affairs deports you and bans you from entering South Africa altogether.”
