The African Diaspora Global Network has voiced criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent address on immigration, arguing that the speech did not sufficiently address the role of neighboring countries in addressing the root causes of migration to South Africa.
Vusumuzi Sibanda, chairperson of the African Diaspora Global Network, stated that immigration challenges cannot be viewed in isolation and require deeper engagement with regional nations to tackle the drivers compelling people to seek safety and opportunity in South Africa.
Sibanda acknowledged the President’s commitment to impose stricter penalties on employers who exploit undocumented migrants but noted that such exploitation is already criminalized under South Africa’s Immigration Act, with sanctions including fines and imprisonment. He questioned what additional measures the President was referencing.
On enforcement protocols, Sibanda welcomed Ramaphosa’s clarification that only law enforcement officials are authorized to stop individuals and request documentation. He cited incidents, such as one in Durban, where non-law enforcement actors detained people who were properly documented. In one instance, an individual with an expired asylum status was mistakenly treated as an illegal immigrant, despite the Refugees Act providing the appropriate legal framework for such cases.
While Ramaphosa affirmed that South Africa “rejects the notion that we must tolerate illegal immigration” and described migration as a global phenomenon, Sibanda argued the address missed an opportunity to detail how South Africa would engage fellow African states on underlying migration drivers. He referenced concerns previously raised by Ghana and Nigeria regarding push factors such as poor governance, political instability, and threats to life linked to authoritarian practices on the continent.
When questioned about governance challenges within South Africa, Sibanda clarified that the term “bad governance” in this context refers to situations where economies have collapsed, states are controlled by cartels, accountability mechanisms are absent, and citizens are barred from peaceful demonstration. He pointed to Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections, which a SADC report deemed neither free nor credible, as an example where regional observation missions yielded no consequential action despite South Africa’s involvement.
Sibanda also referenced Nigeria, where last-minute changes to electoral procedures occurred without accountability, underscoring the need for regional bodies to move beyond symbolic election monitoring toward meaningful intervention. He emphasized that addressing migration sustainably requires confronting these systemic governance failures across the region.
The African Diaspora Global Network maintains that a comprehensive immigration strategy must pair domestic enforcement with proactive regional diplomacy aimed at stabilizing neighboring states and creating conditions that reduce forced displacement.
