One of the most visible changes in the ten years of democracy is the way SA has changed from being an isolated and fearful corner cut off from the rest of the continent, to an open vibrant hub of the southern hemisphere.
The move from a closed oppressive state to an open democratic one changed not only the internal politics of the country but has see South Africa become inolved in the trend in which people and skills have become highly mobile, moving around the globe regularly and freely.
The opening of SA’s borders has meant that for the first time many South Africans have come into contact with people from other cultures, not always with happy results. The knee jerk response – not dissimilar to xenophobic reactions to immigration worldwide ‒ has been that foreigners contribute only crime and disease, while stealing jobs to which locals have an entitlement.
Reaserch by the Southern African Migration Project shows that South Africans have demonstrated the highest level of opposition to immigration recorded in any country where such research has been done.
Yet only 4% of locals had actually had any contact with immigrants, and no real understanding of the experiences and intentions of these people.
The common perceptions of migrants often have little or no basis in reality. Research shows there is no ”uncontrollable flood of illegal immigrants”. In fact the vast majority of migrants have official passports from their home country and had entered the cournty at formal immigration posts.
The people who migrate tend to be those who have the most skills and resources (personal and financial ), and therefore have something to offer their host country. While some migrants do come to SA for for jobs, many more also come to visit family, for a holiday, for shopping and on business. Far from stealing jobs from locals, many migrants set up businesses and create employment for South Africans. Cross-border traders boost the economy by bringing goods into the country to sell and then spending most of the money they earn right here in South Africa.
Most migrants don’t intend to live here permanently, seeing levels of crime and violence as making this an unsafe place to raise families. While the strereotype is that all foreigners are criminals, the reality is that more often than not they are victims of crime rather than the cause of it.
While migrants, particulalry from other African countries, question the legitimacy of borders drawn up in colonial times, most accept the notion of selective immigration policies and don’t expect the SA government to throw its borders wide open. They would, however, like to see immigration policies applied in a rational and humane way. Vincent Williams of SAMP warns that more restrictive policies will simply drive migration underground.