Address by the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba MP, at the International Students Dialogue on International Migration at Birchwood Hotel
I am very happy to be here with you today, international students studying in South Africa and your local counterparts.
We are here to discuss the rather cumbersome theme: ‘positioning South Africa as a destination of choice for international students and harnessing their contribution to national development.’
In simple terms, South Africa values you.
We value you, and not just because you are soon to be skilled workers and entrepreneurs who will drive the economies of whichever country you choose to work in after you graduate.
We value the contribution that you make to our societal fabric- socially, culturally and otherwise- and for the fact that you connect us with the rest of Africa and the world.
In many ways, this is one of the most important conversations for us at Home Affairs to have.
It speaks to core concerns of our national development.
The National Development Plan (NDP) is explicit about the importance of developing human capital, and increasing linkages with our neighbours in the SADC region and elsewhere in the Africa continent are primary concerns of our government.
There is no more important linkage between countries and regions than people, and we are extremely happy about the number of African students studying in SA, which we see as an important component of our regional integration.
We are at the advanced stages of developing a new Green Paper on International Migration, to better equip South Africa to manage the opportunities and challenges presented by this phenomenon.
We are determined to maximise the contribution of immigration policy to our national development, security and fulfilment of international obligations.
As part of this process, we are engaging with all key constituencies of foreign nationals, and have convened this dialogue to understand better the specific needs and aspirations of international students.
Our aim is to develop immigration policies and practices, in respect of international students, which are beneficial to you, beneficial to your home countries, and beneficial to South Africa.
We want South Africa to be at the top of list of destinations for prospective students across Africa and the world.
We want international students to have a simple, easy and efficient experience in obtaining visas to study in South Africa.
We want international students to have a pleasant and enriching period of study in SA, which they will cherish for the rest of their lives.
We want to make it easy and straightforward for those students who are interested in staying in South Africa after graduating to do so.
We are developing proposals in this regard which we will announce soon, and are excited for this opportunity to hear about your experiences and preferences, as we refine our visa offerings.
Countries around the world are increasingly shaping their immigration regimes to attract and retain international students.
This reflects the importance of skills and human capital in the world’s industrial and knowledge economies.
No country can produce all of the skills it needs, due to the ever changing knowledge and innovation requirements of 21st century industries.
Skilled immigrants make an important contribution in destination economies, but their talent is too often wasted, due to challenges related to the non-recognition of their qualifications in their destination countries.
While we work with stakeholders to address these challenges, international students are especially advantageous, as their qualifications have been obtained here in South Africa and are thus able to transition seamlessly into their chosen fields.
It is important to note, that while we want to attract and retain international students, we do not see this as contributing to a brain drain, particularly in other African countries.
We see this as part of a virtuous, developmental circle between ourselves and our regional counterparts.
Many of you will go home, or even to other countries to study and work after graduation.
Many of you would like to stay in South Africa for a few years to study further, to gain work experience, or to start businesses.
We think you are patriotic global citizens, who will make choices about where to base yourself over time, to build your careers, contribute in the countries where you are based, and contribute to the development of your home countries.
We would like the South African leg of your life’s journey to be a great one.
We have invited the Department of Higher Education and Training to be here today, so they can engage with you on the academic and enrolment related dimensions of your study in SA.
So I would like to encourage you to engage with us in open, honest and robust discussion.
We want to hear your views.
When you work for Home Affairs you quickly develop a thick skin, you don’t need to worry about our feelings.
We want to hear your concerns, your criticisms and your aspirations.
We want to know the biggest challenges you are facing as international students in SA.
We want to know the biggest opportunities you see to improve your experience and contribution in SA.
We also want to talk about your role in our national life, in society, and on campuses.
As you know, we are a young democracy in the midst of a challenging and dynamic project of nation building and social cohesion.
You are part of it.
Where previously our discourse on what has been called the ‘national question’, was about uniting Africans, coloureds, Indians and whites, it now must expand to include visitors to our country and new South Africans from all over the African continent and world.
I have maintained, and I maintain, that young people are not the leaders of the future, they must be leaders of the present.
We are a young country on a young continent, in the most dynamic period of political, economic and social change humanity has ever known.
Young people must be at the forefront of all critical discussions shaping society, especially international migration.
Youth are always associated with progressive social change, in all societies.
Young people tend to be less wedded to the past, less invested in the status quo, more idealistic, more naturally inclined to social justice, more open minded, and more willing to imagine the way things could be, rather than be constrained by the way things are.
These qualities are especially necessary and relevant to the discourse on international migration.
Without pre-empting your deliberations today, I hope you will provide much needed leadership to this discourse, in this forum and beyond.
I look forward to fruitful and illuminating deliberations.
I thank you
