Home Affairs reviewing migration policy

Source: SAnews.gov.za, 10/11/2015

Cape Town – The Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC)
set up to look at migration, Minister Jeff Radebe, says government is
reviewing South Africa`s migration policy in a bid to deal with the
strain between locals and foreign nationals that has affected some
communities.


Minister Radebe, who is also responsible for the Ministry of Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, said this when briefing
Parliament`s Ad Hoc Committee on Violence against Foreign Nationals on
Tuesday.


He said a heavy influx of foreign nationals has led to migration laws
not being adhered to due to border management laxity and the visa
waiver to Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries,
among others, which has led to foreign nationals staying in the
country longer than they should be.


This, coupled with other causes like socio-economic conditions and
unfair business practices, has necessitated the IMC to look into this
and other interventions.


"The Department of Home Affairs is reviewing South Africa`s migration
policy and intends tabling a green paper in the Forum of South African
Directors-General during the third quarter of the current financial
year.


"Cabinet has also approved the Refugee Amendment Bill in September
2015 for tabling in Parliament," he said.


The Minister said the review of the country`s migration policy was one
of several interventions through which government was responding to
underlying root causes and tensions that led to attacks on foreign
nationals in April 2015 in various parts of the country.


Other interventions would include:


- Addressing the asylum seekers` backlog through the immediate
funding and capacitating of the Standing Committee on Refugee Affairs
and Refugee Appeals Board;


- Restricting the movement of asylum applicants to a single
magisterial district through the setting up of decentralised refugee
reception centres at ports of entry;


- Funding and capacitating of Immigration Services (IMS) to
empower the inspectorate, revamp ports of entry as well as to create
the necessary systems to deal with migration and,


- Controlling the inflow of migrants by setting a tolerance
threshold or a quota system.


The Minister also said government would revisit South Africa`s
accession to the relevant United Nation conventions without
reservation and amend the country`s Refugees Act accordingly.


Over and above this, government would also develop a comprehensive
strategy with SADC states for managing migration into South
Africa.


To improve border management, Minister Radebe said government will
fund, capacitate and deploy the requisite South African National
Defence Force companies to the borderline.


He said this would go hand-in-hand with expediting the construction of
border fences and the establishment of patrol roads.


While government was mobilising and involving communities in
borderline security management, it was also working hard to eradicate
corruption and illegal activities at ports of entry and the
borderline.


"In the aftermath of the attacks, foreign nationals were reintegrated
while some were voluntarily repatriated.


"The Technical Task Team of Directors-General on Migration held
successful meetings with African diaspora groups to discuss their
challenges.


"[The task team also] communicated government`s expectations of their
communities in terms of adherence to South African law and
regulations," he said. – SAnews.gov.za