Migration is a growing concern in SA. [Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images]
Just a day before the Conference on Migration got underway this week, ANC Gauteng provincial secretary Thembinkosi ‘TK’ Nciza vowed to “reclaim our Johannesburg”. The city is challenged by an influx of immigrants, many of whom arrive illegally.
SA is hosting the conference from 20 to 23 August. It was organised by the National Planning Commission, in conjunction with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
On Monday, party officials told reporters in Johannesburg that illegal immigration took centre stage when its provincial executive committee met last weekend. Nciza accused illegal immigrants of hijacking buildings.
“Illegal immigration is affecting us. We have towns and buildings that have been taken over by illegal immigrants and as the province, this affects us directly … We will reclaim our Johannesburg. That is why we support and are very excited about [Dada] Morero coming in.
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Driving development through migration
In a country where more than eight million people are now unemployed, according to the latest statistics, foreign nationals are increasingly being fingered for locals’ woes. Few people bother to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants.
This attitude was responsible for a total of 669 deaths, 5 310 looted shops, and 127 572 displacements between 1994 and March 2024, according to figures from XenoWatch.
But migration can bring positive results, if managed correctly. This was the view of Lily Sanya, IOM’s chief of mission in SA. She was speaking to SABC on the sidelines of the four-day conference.
“Migration is indeed a development enabler, if it’s well managed. Migration should happen in a safe, orderly and regular manner for us to be able to reap the benefits of that.”
Acknowledging that discourse around migration tended to be “very polarising” and “very emotive”, she said an evidence-based approach was necessary.
According to StatsSA’s 2023 Migration Profile Report for South Africa, there are 2 418 197 international migrants in SA. Most arrive in the country from the SADC region, in search of better economic opportunities.
