South Africa is set to enter a new era of migration management with the release of a draft white paper on immigration, citizenship, and refugee policy, marking the country's fourth major overhaul in three decades.
According to African Insider , the document, driven by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, signals a more ambitious and technologically advanced approach than previous reforms, aiming to create a streamlined yet humane system for managing the movement and status of both citizens and foreigners.
Unlike earlier policies, the new white paper emphasises digitisation and integration, proposing an Intelligent Population Register to track citizens, migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in real time. Drawing inspiration from digital systems in countries such as Estonia, Denmark, India, and Botswana, the register would employ biometrics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and interoperable databases to reduce inefficiency, prevent identity fraud, and improve social and economic planning. Mandatory birth and death registration and biometric identification for all residents are central to the system, allowing even irregular migrants to access banking services and contribute taxes.
