Authorities carried out coordinated enforcement operations at two construction sites in Cape Town’s CBD this week, resulting in the arrest of dozens of undocumented workers as officials intensify inspections linked to labour and immigration compliance.
An active building site at 1 Bree Street was raided on Monday, May 18, at about 9am during a joint operation involving SAPS, the City of Cape Town’s Metro Police and Law Enforcement departments, the Department of Labour, and Immigration officials.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that 27 undocumented men were arrested during the operation. They were detained at Cape Town police station and are expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.
On Thursday, May 20, another active construction site was raided. The new location was at 23 Lower Long Street.
"An integrated operation between SAPS, City of Cape Town Metro Police, Law Enforcement, Labour Department, and Immigration on Thursday, 20 May 2026, in the Cape Town CBD, led to the arrests of 60 foreign nationals for contravention of the Immigration Act. They are due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ court once they have been charged," said Sergeant Twigg.
This brings the total number of arrests of this nature to 87 in the space of only 3 days.