Political Economist Dale McKinley says South Africas immigration system has been in crisis for a long time and the governments latest white paper fails to advocate for the necessary changes.
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi earlier announced that cabinet had approved the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, which seeks to overhaul the countrys migration system.
However, McKinley says the white paper does not address concerns about the migration issue.
"Because the government has not delivered the necessary services; it hasnt delivered the kind of things its promised its own citizens, when you have people coming in and then basically accessing some of those services, the people in South Africa see that as competition, as taking away and it creates tension, it creates conflict. Weve seen this. So, theres a structural and political reasoning to that situation, the DHA! And the white paper really doesnt fundamentally deal with it."
Home Affairs briefing on White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee protection:
