INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION WORKSHOP WITH SOUTH AFRICAN LEADERS -
MAKES COLLABORATIVE PROGRESS
S
outh Africa hosts the largest number of immigrants on the African continent due to its middle-income status, stable democratic institutions, and comparatively industrialized economy.
process individually is a challenge for municipalities as various non-local factors affect migration. The national government held a workshop to find ways of effectively addressing this challenge.
According to official estimates, the country is home to about 2.9 million immigrants, which would account for slightly less than 5 percent of the overall population of 60 million people. However, this number is thought to be an underestimate because of the presence of large numbers of unauthorized migrants, particularly from neighbouring countries.
The two-day workshop held on the 16th to the 17th October at Ekurhuleni in Gauteng East was attended by National Ministers of Home Affairs, Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements, Small Business Development, Trade-Industry & Competition; Chairpersons of the Public Service Commission, National House of Traditional & Khoi & San Leaders, CONTRALESA and ROLESA; President of SALGA as well as Mayors and Speakers from Metropolitan, District and Local Municipalities.
The influx of illegal immigrants and poor management of migrants that are in the country already, puts pressure on municipalities which have to provide infrastructure for all residents – local and migrant. Managing this
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Municipal Focus
The purpose of the workshop was to provide a platform for stakeholders to share practical experiences on how
migration impacts on communities and to identify areas of cooperation.
The role of municipalities in dealing with migration is critical because the migrants end up living in municipal areas and operating within municipal jurisdictions. National government and local government involved National Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs Minister, Mrs Thembi Nkadimeng co-hosted the workshop. Ministries that it was felt were directly impacted or could affect migration were part of the workshop. The workshop also reviewed the
