President’s address of the nation speech under scrutiny
Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address of the nation on 7 June 2026 on how the government plans to approach managing illegal migration and responding to recent anti-foreigner protests, there has been some scrutiny coming from all angles.
ActionSA media release
Shortly after the President made his speech, ActionSA released an immediate statement expressing that they are “disappointed by President’s weak and reactionary address on illegal immigration crisis”. They criticized that it did nothing to address the immigration crisis created by the ANC and perpetuated by the failing GNU government.
ActionSA believes that the address should have represented a shift in approach that anchors on mass deportation and urgent capacitation of enforcement capacity.
A part of their statement reads; “the president merely repackaged the same failed and tired talking points that have characterised the ANC’s decades-long failure to secure South Africa’s borders and effectively address illegal immigration”. They point out that the President refused to interact with the media, which they deem indicative of the weakness of his address stating that “South Africans deserve answers to questions about what, if anything, is genuinely different in the measures announced today”. They go on to express once again that the President uses the same tired talking points and a scripted repetition of the same failed policies that do nothing to address crisis.
Jacinta’s comment
The next part of their statement reflects the same sentiments expressed by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma in her SABC interview that the Presidents solutions are not going to be implementable, in their words “any commitment by the President to ramp up enforcement (in reference to Border Management Authority) is dead upon arrival”. This part also reflects netizens sentiments that the government only responds to violence or when pushed, in their words, “the government is only acting in response to manufactured outrage from foreign governments that are unwilling to confront the consequences of their own failures”.
They accuse the Government deflecting responsibility and deliberately misrepresenting the legitimate calls of South Africans for urgent and meaningful immigration reform instead of acknowledging the immense and real social and economic burden that unchecked illegal immigration places on South Africa.
Netizen scrutiny
“Not only did the President break section 9 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 (chapter 2 – Bill of rights) but also lied about section 42 of the Criminal Procedures act which allows for citizens arrest without warrant which includes search and seizure so 30th of June we implement citizens arrest using necessary forces as allowed by section 42 of the criminal procedures act. Entering the country is a fraudulent act which is a schedule 2 offense”.
“Cyril Ramaphosa condemns xenophobic behaviour while his government has neglected border control for years. You can’t flood the country with unchecked migration and then shame citizen for noticing. Secure the borders first, Mr President, stop evading the issues”.
“Take what the President said last night with a grain of salt. We pushed him in 2020 to address illegal migration and listened to what he said. 6 years later the promises remain empty, excuses endless, and the situation continues to spiral out of control”.
Further Scrutiny
National Service Delivery Forum chairperson, Potso Motoko says they are not impressed nor are they convinced by the Presidents address. He expresses that what was said has been said for a very long time, it is not new to us to hear the President saying that they are going to crack down on illegal immigration. He states that the President should have treated and declared illegal immigration as a state of emergency so that this matter is given necessary attention and calls for the SANDF to be deployed at the borders.
Illegal immigration marches in the country keeps spreading, a crisis is looming as we approach June 30.
