The issue of international migration has in recent years gained prominence in South Africa, and indeed, globally. But, migration is not new; it an old phenomenon. In reality, many nation states, and some more than others, have at one stage or the other for various reasons been affected by large movements of people from different points of origin.
The World Economic and Social Survey 2004 thus says: “International Migration is one of the central dimensions of globalisation. Facilitated by improved transportation and communications and stimulated by large economic and social inequalities in the world, people are increasingly moving across national borders in an effort to improve their own and their family’s well being. In the past few decades, international movements of people have increased alongside, though less strongly than, the expanded international flows of goods and capital. The forces underlying these trends are unlikely to reverse so that these international movements of people will continue–and most probably increase–in the future”.
However, migration is not bereft of misinformed assumptions and stereotypes which inform many debates about it, resulting in many people regarding it as negative and something to be combated. Such negative views are not limited to South Africa alone.
The global recession has compounded the already precarious situation of migrants, especially those who are either semi-skilled or unskilled. Migrants have become a political tool. Yet they continue to grow, both regular (legal) and irregular (illegal). No country is immune from this process and we may expect that even in future elections, migration may become an issue of heated election contestations between various political organisations.
Like other countries everywhere in the world, South Africa faces an increased phenomenon of international migration, facing a rising inflow and outflow of migrants. However, in contemporary times, migration has become more complex and takes place in more varied forms than previously. Every country is now either a point of origin, transit or destination for migrants; often all three at once. This means that as in the past, migration will impact on the national question in every country and affect public policy and international relations. What we can boldly say is that no nation is today constituted purely of its aboriginals.
While immigration into South Africa has surely increased post-apartheid, however, the assumption that all foreign nationals are either already in South Africa or are on their way here is baseless. What we are observing in eight of our busiest ports of entry indicate that most of the daily travellers into and out of South Africa are Southern African Development Community (SADC) nationals and on a daily basis, there are as many foreign nationals entering South Africa as there are exiting.
These trends indicate, among others, that South Africa is increasingly getting integrated into the SADC region; and that as a result of some policy decisions we have recently adopted, SADC nationals are increasingly utilising regular routes to enter South Africa rather than irregular routes, such as crossing the border unlawfully and without necessary documentation.
But the trends at these eight busiest ports of entry also indicate a worrying phenomenon, and that is that few South Africans are travelling into the SADC region, whether daily or monthly. That largely accounts for the great misconceptions and stereotypes we have both about migration and our fellow African neighbours. However, this does not mean that irregular migration in the form of unlawful, undocumented cross-border movement has ceased, but signal to the positive benefits of policy shifts.
Globalisation has brought about many opportunities for skilled professionals and technicians to seek jobs anywhere in the world. Skilled people are ever ready to migrate to the next country and have no ties that bind them to any single country.
Accordingly, development, fundamental though it is, cannot be seen as a deterrent for migration and neither will higher economic growth slow migration. All it can do is increase the possibilities for regular migration and better managed movements of people between countries.
For many people in developing countries, including the poor, migration offers a way out of poverty for them and their families. This is illustrated in the remittances being sent to the families of the migrants to meet their socio-economic needs and serve an important function among many people who otherwise would have no income.
According to the World Migration 2005, there were an estimated 20 million migrant workers and family members within and outside Africa, and the number of Africans living outside their country of origin had more than doubled in a generation.
However, Africa has suffered a higher rate of irregular as well as forced migration in the form of refugees and internally displaced people. It is when regular doors close largely on poor and working class would-be migrants that irregular migration options are explored. As a result of the latter, many low skilled and unskilled economic migrants have been utilising the asylum route to regularise their stay in South Africa, and thus congesting the asylum systems when most of them were economic migrants who wanted to be documented.
In addition to these, South Africa has many irregular migrants from neighbouring countries involved in daily, irregular cross-border movement. African migration has, as is the global case, become increasingly feminised and women migrants account for about 47 percent of migrants. Historically, migrant labour within Africa, especially South Africa, has been high, but after 1994, irregular migrant labour into South Africa, especially of working class and semi-killed people from other African states, has risen sharply.
However, the migration of skilled people has major implications for the development objective in Africa as a whole. In this, developed countries have been the principal beneficiaries of the investments done by developing countries in educating and creating these skills; investments which can never be recovered.
The skills Africa loses through this process have a direct and heavy bearing on the future development prospects of the continent and will, unless this process is managed better and differently, perpetuate her marginalisation as well as the socio-economic disparities between the developed and developing countries. It is for these reasons, among others, that we have been saying in South Africa that we need a migration policy shift that recognises that:
* migration must be managed rather than combated; migrants must be viewed as a development potential rather than a nuisance
* migration is vital for South Africa’s economic development, her integration into Africa and especially SADC and for the enhancement of her cultural and national diversity
* IN MANAGING MIGRATION, WE MUST BALANCE BETWEEN THE ECONOMIC AND SECURITY IMPERATIVES OF OUR COUNTRY AND NEIGHBOURS AND
* MIGRation must become the responsibility of the entire country, both governmental and non-governmental actors and communities.
Our view is that immigrants contribute to economic development, promote and deepen African and human solidarity and enhance our humanity. Properly managed, immigration will positively contribute to South Africa’s development, reduce security challenges, including those caused by cross-border crimes, and eliminate stereotypes and negative attitudes towards immigrants and immigration.
Irregular migration is inextricably linked to human security and human rights, or their absence thereof. There are many negative consequences associated with irregular migration, and they include:
* Possible exploitation by employers, landlords and corrupt police and other government officials.
* Because they are irregular, their skills and experiences are not recognised and hence cannot be used to contribute to the economy.
Quite often, as stated above, irregular immigrants are blamed for the rising spates of crime. Of course, whilst it is a fact that criminals do take advantage of globalisation and international migration to construct networks that straddle across borders and that there are immigrants that, like nationals, engage in crime, fraud and corruption, intolerance towards crime and corruption must be indiscriminate. Crime must be combated whether it is committed by locals, legal or illegal immigrants, with the same passion.
Accordingly, cross-border anti-crime solutions and cooperation between countries are required. Like globalisation, international migration has an uneven impact both within and between nation-states. It has thus far benefited the developed countries far ahead of the developing countries, and has reinforced the race, class and gender dimensions of this phenomenon as no country opens its doors and rolls out the red carpet for the poor, working class and semi-skilled migrants, most of whom are black, female and from developing countries.
International migration tends to favour the top echelons of society, those with high levels of skills and investment capital who are able to move easily, with better information and through safe routes and modes of transport. They obtain genuine travel documents and permits to enter any country. They are feted by governments and companies, have security and are easily integrated into whichever society they choose to settle in.
The same is sadly not true for working class migrants most of whom have no security, live at risk and are often victims of xenophobia. The developmental potential of international migration has been skewed in favour of developed countries and middle-class migrants. Many developing countries lack the capacity to forge this linkage between migration and development.
Perhaps, few countries would understand the political and socio-economic impact of international migration as well as South Africa, given the heavy influence it has had on the national question in this country. Even today, the truth is that migration shall continue to redefine the national question in this and other countries.
Consequently, nation-building shall continue to be a permanent feature of South Africa and all other societies especially as we strive towards social cohesion, which should include consciously integrating immigrants and combating xenophobia.
In view of the above, and in order to reap the full benefits of international migration, public policy must be reformed to emphasise the positive link between migration, development and public security.
Such policy must promote the immigration of investors and skilled professionals, whilst sensitively managing that of working class and semi-skilled persons and must hence be incorporated and mainstreamed into national, regional and global economic growth.
In pursuit of this objective, the Department of Home Affairs cannot act alone. But, then neither must government try to act alone. For the full benefits of migration properly to be harnessed, there must be coordinated action between the various departments of national government, involving all the tiers of governments, community leaders and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions and business so that each can clearly understand their roles and fulfil their obligations. There must be a shared vision and responsibilities.
To achieve this, there must be capacity developed for data collection on immigration and refugee situations in the country, in order to better and more efficiently manage migration in a manner that involves all South Africans, to inform both public discourse and action and to debunk myths and stereotypes, perceptions and misconceptions.
To manage immigration also means that the interests and needs, as well as the contribution of immigrants will be acknowledged, whilst acknowledging also those of the majority of the population as a whole. This means that all must accept the responsibility and the outcomes of that process. In pursuit of that objective, we must finalise the local integration policy for immigrants and refugees and embark on broad consultation process to ensure a wide buy-in. This should address both the rights and obligations of migrants, and develop capacity to achieve such integration through cooperation and coordinated action. Coordinated action must be replicated at municipal levels to ensure that they too are seized of this urgent and increasing challenge that is already in our midst in increasing intensity.
It must be proactive and responsive; and ensure that data collection, policy analysis, research and evaluation and monitoring are shared among all major stakeholders so that migration management is a shared responsibility at national level.
However, beyond national initiatives, inter-state cooperation and coordination at bilateral, regional, inter-regional and global level, especially between developing and developed countries must be intensified, again to ensure shared responsibility and shared benefits. The SADC free movement protocol, the UNIVISA, various policy pronouncements such as the special dispensation for Zimbabwean nationals and such initiatives as the dialogue between developed and developing countries attempt to accomplish exactly this.
Of course, all of the above must also take into consideration the need to develop an integrated and comprehensive border management strategy so that we stem the tide of irregular migration and encourage frequent usage of regular migration through our ports of entry, using recognised international travel documents or even SADC specific travel documents such as those used within the European Union or North Africa.
However, there must not be exaggerated expectations of what could be achieved through effective border control. It must attempt to balance between national security control and economic, day to day migration of ordinary people. Border control does not mean the same thing as immigration control.
Ultimately, a successful migration policy depends on a persistent and sustainable African agenda for peace, democracy and development which is vital to address the root causes of migration and forced displacements, to diminish the push factors and strive to level the pull factors. This alone will not diminish migration, but it will assist to diminish, to a great degree, irregular and undocumented migration.
It would be crucial for Africa to find ways to ensure that Africans abroad and African Diaspora organisations support and galvanise support for the African Union and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and invest in their own continent and countries. An environment conducive to this must be created to ensure a transfer of resources, information, skills, information and knowledge; as well to mobilise these African émigrés to support African political and foreign policy objectives. This should include continuing to manage the easing of regulations and the bureaucratic red tape on skills recruitment and investment attraction.
Ultimately, adequate and sober leadership is required on this matter to ensure that we can fully realise the positive benefits of international and even domestic migration, to harness this ostensibly powerful and unstoppable phenomenon towards the end goal of development and security for our people, our country and our neighbours.
Forums such as this are accordingly important to harness public discourse and extend it beyond government actors and academics, and ensure that it reaches communities and ordinary people.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Home Affairs
20 August 2009
