Mass exodus and a policy that makes it worse. As xenophobic discrimination accelerates the mass departure of black immigrants from South Africa, the government’s response appears to be deepening the crisis rather than resolving it.
Professor Jo Vearey (Associate Professor and Co-Director, African Centre for Migration & Society, Wits University) points to the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection currently before Parliament:
“It takes a European and North American approach, positioning immigration as a national security issue. This makes it difficult for individuals to obtain regular status in South Africa. It also calls for a processing centre, which is worrying.”
When policy frames migration as a threat rather than a human reality, it does not solve problems, it creates them.
[Credit: areena.yle.fi]
0 Comments