JOHANNESBURG mayor Herman Mashaba has called for SA to strengthen its borders, saying it needs to be protected from illegal immigrants and their illegal businesses.
Mashaba was speaking at a business breakfast hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Killarney, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
"People in our country are sitting in here illegally and also operating illegal businesses. I don’t apologise to anyone, we have got to confront this situation for the sake of future generations," said Mashaba.
The mayor added that a country without borders was not acceptable and tough decisions had to be taken to ensure that SA was protected.
He was responding to a question from an audience member about how the city would deal with the burden migration was putting on it.
The DA mayor is running the South African city with the country’s biggest budget, and has vowed to increase Johannesburg’s economy by 5% — an ambitious goal in a sluggish economy.
"We need a minimum of 5% growth and this is an ambitious plan, but we don’t have a choice … 40% of the issues facing SA are self inflicted — if this is the case then let us remove the challenge," said Mashaba.
He pleaded with business people in the audience to invest in the city, saying the fact that US companies employed only 200,000 people in the country was not enough and they should do more.
"I’m asking you as American (business)men and businesswomen in our city, please talk to us, we are the city that is friendly to business.
"We want you to come and make money in our city; we are not a government that is against profits … because in the process of making profits you will employ our people so we can see the number of 200,000 within the next five years only here in Johannesburg not throughout the whole country," he said.
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