President Cyril Ramaphosa told the Pan-African Parliament that South Africa would continue enforcing immigration laws while protecting human dignity, saying migrants should not become scapegoats for broader social and economic challenges
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a balanced approach to migration, saying South Africa must enforce its immigration laws while protecting the rights and dignity of migrants.
Addressing the first ordinary session of the seventh legislature of the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand on Monday, Ramaphosa said migration challenges facing the continent required a collective response that addressed the root causes driving people to leave their countries.
His comments come amid ongoing concerns in South Africa over illegal migration, tensions involving foreign nationals and allegations of anti-migrant sentiment.
Ramaphosa said South Africa had experienced “outbreaks of anti-migrant sentiment and incidents of intimidation and violence directed at foreign nationals”, which he said had been fuelled partly by misinformation and prejudice.
