Natjoints reports on spaza shop inspections, immigration enforcement, and political violence ahead of elections

Authorities searched 34,162 spaza shops in July to ensure compliance with municipal bylaws, food safety, business licensing, and immigration legislation. During July, 16,208 illegal immigrants were arrested, bringing the total since January to 59,947. Between April and July, 18,816 people were deported, with 3,016 undocumented foreign nationals awaiting deportation.

The government has repatriated 77,184 foreign nationals to their countries of origin. Mosikili noted a significant decrease in anti-immigration protest activity, with 212 public order incidents recorded in July, leading to 354 arrests and 205 criminal cases. Regarding election readiness, the voter registration weekend concluded without major incidents.

However, seven political party councillors have been murdered since January, with seven suspects arrested in connection with these politically motivated incidents. Mosikili warned that law enforcement is prepared to address any attempts to destabilize the electoral environment.