Employer to face charges after 25 foreign nationals arrested at Bree Street construction site
Undocumented migrants being escorted to awaiting police vehicles after being taken from a construction site of a planned 42 storey building in Bree Street, Cape Town.
Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters
More information has come to light following dramatic scenes in Cape Town’s CBD on Monday, after a joint law enforcement operation brought construction at a 42-storey hotel development on Bree Street to a standstill.
According to several workers on site, some foreign nationals had allegedly previously been warned not to continue working without the required documentation, while others were allegedly without identification altogether.
Throughout the day, officers could be seen moving through the massive construction site, climbing scaffolding, checking elevator shafts, cranes and various floors of the high-rise building in search of workers allegedly hiding from authorities. Security officials stationed on neighbouring rooftops were also seen directing officers to areas where some workers had reportedly concealed themselves.
The towering development has reportedly been earmarked to become the second tallest building in Cape Town at approximately 131 metres high. The mixed-use project is expected to include more than 500 hotel rooms and over 200 residential apartments.
Around 4,000 square metres of retail space has also reportedly been allocated for shops, restaurants and entertainment offerings, while plans for the development include a rooftop pool on the 22nd floor overlooking the city skyline and Table Mountain.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed that the operation involved members of the South African Police Service, Metro Police and officials from the Department of Home Affairs.
Twigg said the joint operation at the Bree Street site resulted in the arrest of foreign nationals allegedly working without the required documentation.
The Department of Home Affairs later confirmed that the operation took place at 11 Bree Street and said it was led by the Department of Employment and Labour, with Home Affairs participating as a law enforcement stakeholder.
According to Home Affairs spokesperson and Deputy Director-General for Operations Thulani Mavuso, immigration officers were deployed to conduct an in loco inspection to verify the legal status of individuals employed by contractors on the site.
Mavuso said 25 foreign nationals were arrested during the operation. Those detained included 11 Mozambicans, 11 Zimbabweans, two Basotho nationals and one Malawian national.
“Among them, nine individuals were undocumented, while the remaining 16 were found to be in contravention of various sections of the Immigration Act of 2002, including using a visitor’s visa for work purposes,” he said.
He added that the arrested individuals are expected to appear in court, where deportation processes will also be finalised.
Home Affairs further confirmed that the employer had been criminally charged under Section 49(3) of the Immigration Act for allegedly knowingly employing illegal foreign nationals in contravention of the law.
The company is also expected to appear in court.
At the site, Weekend Argus approached representatives of construction company Anastasi for comment but was turned away.
Attempts to obtain comment from the company’s Gauteng head office also proved unsuccessful. On several occasions, different employees who answered the phones said they were unaware of the situation unfolding in Cape Town and claimed they did not have direct contact details for their Cape Town representatives as they “work on site”.
An email address was later provided to the newspaper, however no response had been received by deadline.