Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, SALGA President Bheki Stofile and MEC Seaparo Sekoati on behalf of Premier
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi wants an overhaul of the country’s migration laws, to pluck the gaps that have seen a deluge of illegal migrants in every urban center of the country.
Motsoaledi was delivering the keynote address at the South African Local Government Association National Migration on Wednesday, in Polokwane. The Summit ends today, with resolutions and a cooperation agreement by stakeholders.
According to Motsoaledi, the South African migration laws are weak and therefore open to large-scale abuse, leading to the flooding of the country by illegal migrants.
In response to the accusations that the country’s borders, the Department of Home Affairs have established a Border Management Authority with law enforcement officers. Motsoaledi revealed that moves are afoot to make the Border Management Authority a stand-alone structure for efficiency and effectiveness.
He went on to say that as long the current weak laws remain in place, all the efforts will come unstuck.
In conclusion, Motsoaledi appealed to all stakeholders to do their parts as Home Affairs cannot solve the country’s migration problems alone.
To illustrate the lack of cooperation by government stakeholders, Motsoaledi said municipalities don’t get involved in migration challenges until something affects them directly, but will still blame Home Affairs for what they should be fixing.
“Let’s sit together and draw plans to fix our migration problems,” Motsoaledi said.
Welcoming delegates to the Summit Executive Mayor of Polokwane Makoro John Mpe said the summit was meeting on a matter that has caught global attention. “Polokwane being a border city is also seized with migration issues.”
Also speaking at the Summit SALGA President Bheki Stofile said, “SALGA National Conference 2022, resolved that SALGA must facilitate the establishment of an intergovernmental program that will seek to address the challenges related to illegal migration affecting municipalities.”
“A series of engagements were held during 2022, discussing multispectral challenges the local government sector encounters. Following all these encounters, SALGA has deemed it necessary to host a National Summit on Migration,” Stofile said.
During the panel discussion on policy and governance over migration, the Minister outlined the government’s efforts to modernise the country’s policy and systems, including the implementation of e-visas and biometric data collection at ports of entry.
The Summit was also addressed by the MEC of Treasury Seaparo Sekoati on behalf of the Limpopo provincial government. Sekoati in his message of support said the summit is a long-overdue intervention to fix the country’s migration problems.
It is attended by municipalities across the country, traditional leaders, government departments, and other migration stakeholders.
Among the issues on the agenda, today are the impact of illegal migration on government services and the integration of migration into developmental planning.
