11 September 2025
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has vowed to destroy informal settlements where he says the majority of residents are undocumented immigrants. Photo: SA government
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced a crackdown on informal settlements, claiming that most of their residents are undocumented immigrants. But his office has not explained how he came to this conclusion.
In a press conference earlier this month, ahead of the launch of his Nasi Ispani Reloaded “mass skills development” programme, Lesufi said the “majority of these new informal settlements are people that are not documented in our country”. He declared that the government has “no responsibility” for providing houses to undocumented residents. He also said many people occupying land illegally are attempting to bypass formal housing processes.
He said he had instructed his “team” to begin tearing down informal settlements in the early hours of the morning. “I said to the team, we are going to dismantle this informal settlement at 2am”.
“The patience of this government, and the patience of our people in our country, and the accommodating nature of us to ensure that we work within the human rights limitations, has been abused and taken advantage of,” he said.
Lesufi’s words sparked outrage from the civil society group Abahlali baseMjondolo, which accused Lesufi of launching “a war on the poor”.
GroundUp asked Lesufi’s office how the Premier had come to his conclusion about undocumented immigrants in informal settlements.
“The information is sourced using various means,” said Sizwe Pamla, Lesufi’s spokesperson. “One of those is through a broad community safety strategy. The provincial government gathers information by supporting local structures where community patrollers work alongside councillors and law enforcement.” Other sources of information included public forums and engagement with municipalities, he said.
According to the 2022 census approximately 584,316 people were living in informal dwellings in Gauteng at that time, accounting for 11% of the province’s housing. GroundUp could find no official census data on what proportion of these belonged to undocumented immigrants.
Lesufi has previously pledged to destroy shacks. In his 2025 State of the Province Address he said there are around 700 informal settlements in Gauteng. He listed the “mushrooming of informal settlements” as one of Gauteng’s 13 identified problems, calling those who participated in their existence “‘mkhukhu (shack) mafias”.
Pamla said the removals will be conducted within the framework of the law and in compliance with the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998.
When asked by GroundUp what will happen to the people who are removed from these settlements, he did not say where people would be relocated.
The Act does state, however, that courts are obliged to consider whether alternative accommodation is available before eviction.
Pamla said the “team” the Premier referred to is the South African Police Service (SAPS), Municipal Police Departments, Traffic Police, wardens, and private security companies, who have all recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to allow for integrated cross-border law enforcement operations.
“These units have been active participants across all five of Gauteng’s corridors as part of SAPS’s Operation Shanela, an initiative to combat crime throughout the province.”
Undocumented immigrants found to be living in these informal settlements will be deported, said Pamla.