South Africa remains a major destination for migrants from across the continent, even as a growing anti-immigration movement has put the presence of foreign nationals under intense public scrutiny.
The country was recently rocked by nationwide protests, with demonstrators demanding tougher action against undocumented migrants and accusing foreigners of taking jobs, driving crime and putting pressure on public services.
The protests, which included incidents of looting and attacks on foreign-owned businesses, forced thousands of migrants to flee or temporarily shut their businesses.
Against this backdrop, new figures from South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs show that a significant number of foreign nationals in the country have legal immigration status.
According to figures provided by the department in response to a parliamentary question, South Africa has 105,260 foreign nationals holding legitimate immigration permits.
