Illegal Libyans to be quickly deported – Minister

The Home Affairs Department has committed itself to speedily concluding the deportation of 95 Libyans arrested in July at a suspected military training base in White River, Mpumalanga, says a Business Day report. The state withdrew its case against the men on Friday after they made representations to the Mpumalanga DPP and the court ordered the men be deported to Libya. NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said the state withdrew the case as the docket showed there were no prospects of successful prosecution. Nyuswa said that the 95 men applied to be deported to Benghazi. They were charged with misrepresentation in their SA visa applications, in which they allegedly claimed they were coming to train as security guards. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber welcomed the court’s deportation order. ‘We will not hesitate to act decisively to ensure anyone who breaches the immigration laws is processed through the courts and faces the consequences. Respect for the rule of law is sacrosanct,’ he said. Schreiber instructed the department to proceed with speed. This would be done while observing legal processes to ensure the deportations were conducted swiftly.

Full Business Day report