Photo courtesy of the BBC

South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) government has announced that it is planning to temporarily pull out of the United Nations refugee conventions in order to restrict immigration and “reset” the country’s liberal asylum and immigration policies.

A government discussion paper proposes that South Africa temporarily withdraws from the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 Refugee Status Protocol so that restrictions to immigration can be tightened.

The ANC government’s stated plan is to rejoin the conventions once restrictions for the right of refugees to obtain jobs, education and claim citizenship  have been introduced.

South Africa’s 2.4 million migrants

As one of the richest of Sub-Saharan Africa’s countries with job opportunities and a relatively stable democratic system, South Africa is seen as a destination of choice by many migrants.

South Africa’s 2022 census showed more than 2.4 million migrants out of a population of 62 million.

46 percent of them from the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho.

However, South Africa also hosts many undocumented illegal migrants.

Violent clashes

South Africa is itself facing economic problems and unemployment at 33 percent.
Sadly, the perception of illegal immigrants taking jobs from local South Africans has led to violent clashes between foreigners and citizens.

The ANC faxes an election next year in which he once all-dominant political party faces defeat with 89 percent of voters saying they are not tackling the question of immigration.

“Press reset”

Now the ANC says it needs to “press reset” on the country’s hitherto liberal asylum and immigration policies which were set in the mid-1990s, just post-apartheid, when the ANC supported a pan-African stance on immigration.

Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s Home Affairs minister, says those the existing immigration policies are outdated and requires a “radical overhaul.”

Motsoaladi said, “On this continent, the winds of change have been blowing hard and fast. Almost every week there is a coup somewhere in Africa.”