S Africa deports thousands of illegal immigrants

CAPE TOWN, Oct 23 (Xinhua): South Africa has deported thousands of illegal immigrants in recent months following a new spate of xenophobic attacks, the country's parliament said on Tuesday.

The parliament revealed the information after a meeting was convened by the Portfolio Committees on Home Affairs and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to look at solutions to challenges around immigration in the country, particularly in the northeastern province of Gauteng.

The meeting followed the recent violent criminal attacks directed at foreigners in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg, both in Gauteng Province, which led to the deaths of 12 people, destruction of property and the displacement and resettlement of foreign nationals.

Following the attacks, the Department of Home Affairs, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, conducted 56 raids on illegal immigrants from July to September.