Home Affairs to refer anti-asylum seeker AI slop campaign to IEC
· Citizen
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is challenging the wave of criticism it has received since announcing a new directive on asylum seekers.
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By acting on a Constitutional Court judgement that declared some sections of the Refugees Act of 1998 unconstitutional, DHA has been blamed for opening the gates for a wave of illegal immigration.
The department said it was mandated to comply and that it had “vigorously opposed” the judgement granted in favour of the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town in July.
“Nefarious actors have launched a large-scale disinformation campaign targeting the minister of Home Affairs and other officials, claiming that the decision to suspend good cause interviews was taken at the initiative of the minister, the department, or political parties.
“This is categorically false. The Constitutional Court handed down a binding judgment, which the department is constitutionally obliged to implement,” the department stated on Wednesday.
‘Scourge of disinformation’
News that Home Affairs was opening refugee reception centres to undocumented foreign nationals was met with several AI-generated images.
One promoted a national shutdown of DHA offices, with another showing the DA’s Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille alongside Minister Leon Schreiber welcoming “asylum seekers from Africa”.
Zille declined to comment when asked by The Citizen, but declared it fake news in a social media post. DHA then clarified that it would challenge the messaging of the posts.
“The department condemns, in the strongest terms, the peddlers of this disinformation. The matter will be referred to the Electoral Commission of South Africa for further action under the newly published Code of Conduct on Countering Disinformation.
“It also calls on South Africans to help combat the growing scourge of disinformation and incitement faced by Home Affairs officials on a daily basis, by verifying information prior to spreading lies that seek to incite violence or destabilise the foundations of our constitutional order,” DHA stated.
The AI-generated image of Zille and Schreiber welcoming asylum seekers. Picture: X
The department reiterated that the Constitutional Court’s judgement did not automatically grant asylum seekers citizenship, nor was it the “blanket legalisation” of undocumented foreign nationals.
“The department will continue to fulfil its constitutional obligations, irrespective of whether it was successful in the litigation concerned.
At the same time, the deliberate spreading of disinformation designed to inflame tensions and violence is a threat to the stability of our society,” DHA concluded.
‘False choice between compassion and sovereignty’
March and March leader and SA First Forum founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma reacted angrily to the asylum seeker directive, which mandated that applicants be assisted regardless of immigration status.
“It has basically deemed that each and every single person who walks into this country can claim to be a refugee and asylum seeker, without thinking of the implications,” Ngobese-Zuma argued.
The social media abuse went both ways, with Ngobese-Zuma earlier in the week being subjected to death and rape threats.
The ANC came out in her defence on Wednesday, requesting law enforcement to investigate those behind the profile making the “vile” threats.
“No disagreement gives anyone licence to threaten the life, bodily integrity or dignity of another person.
“Such alleged content is particularly reprehensible in a society confronting the persistent scourge of gender-based violence and feminicide, and must be rejected without qualification,” the ANC stated.
ActionSA parliamentary chief whip Lerato Ngobeni warned the consequences of the DHA directive would be “disastrous”, demanding Schreiber answer eight key points on the directive.
These included the anticipated volume of asylum applications, expected timeframes for applications, application criteria, and whether reception centres will be established closer to the border.
“ActionSA does not accept the false choice between compassion and sovereignty. South Africa can protect genuine refugees and secure its borders. We can respect international law and put South Africans first.
“We can treat asylum seekers humanely without surrendering control over who enters, remains and ultimately integrates into our country,” stated Ngobeni.