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immigrationlatest news & developments
Epicentre of the crisis: About 10 000 Malawian nationals facing xenophobia elected to be repatriated and gathered at a migration transit camp in Sherwood, Durban since last Sunday. Photos: Lyse Comins

Around 1 700 Malawian foreign nationals fleeing angry mob shelter in unsafe building

Terrified foreign nationals in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, have occupied an abandoned government building to escape anti-immigrant mobs, following the fatal beating of a…

Former president Thabo Mbeki.

Thabo Mbeki: The retired firefighter who arrives at the scene of his own fires

There is a trend, uniquely South African, with retired politicians. Unlike retired teachers, retired engineers or retired surgeons, they never seem to retire. They merely…

Solidarity: A new language has emerged online, women who associate with, defend or date foreign nationals are increasingly labelled “Afcon”.  Photo: Translate Foundation

Patriotic feminism: Who counts as a woman worth protecting?

In November 2025, South Africans united against gender-based violence. Yet, a troubling shift sees some women leading anti-foreigner campaigns, raising questions about who truly…

Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri. (@Chrispin_JPhiri/Twitter)

Dirco disputes international claims over migrant deaths in SA

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) is challenging international statements on the recent wave of violence targeting foreign nationals in South…

First 1140 Malawians processed at Durban repatriation site found to be undocumented

The first 1140 Malawian nationals processed at a repatriation site in Durban were found to be in the country illegally, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza said on Sunday,…

Human movement: Migration is a major issue, but there has not been enough action to deal with the root causes — such as inequality and instability across the continent. Photo: Delwyn
Verasamy

Immigration debate is misdirected, savage 

It is also true that undocumented migration can create space for criminal activity. But we have to be honest: immigrants are not the main drivers of crime in this country. Data…

South Africa must resist two dangerous temptations simultaneously: the temptation to demonise all foreign nationals and the temptation to silence every concern about illegal immigration through accusations of xenophobia. (Paul Botes)

Where does patriotism end and xenophobia begin?

There is something deeply dishonest about how few South Africans discuss immigration. They have become comfortable with moral grandstanding while communities collapse under the…

Leonardo DiCaprio in the thriller One Battle After Another. Photos: Warner Bros. Pictures

One Battle After Another: The revolution will be cinematic

Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio join forces for a high-stakes, darkly hilarious thriller exploring family, revolution and lingering trauma

Done waiting: Campbell Meas, winner of this year’s National Playwright Competition at the National Arts Festival. Photo: Boipelo Khunou

Campbell Meas is done waiting

A candid look at Campbell Meas’s journey navigating creativity, identity and the challenges of breaking into the arts industry

Irish Minister of State Neale Richmond gives an address at the Africa Ireland Trade Horizons conference. (Supplied)

Irish state minister: Visa imposed on South Africans harsh, but necessary

Neale Richmond said the Irish government was aware of the effect this has had businesses and people, but the move was constantly under review

The High Court has overturned a Home Affairs official’s decision to reject the asylum application of a man who fled his home country after he was imprisoned for homosexuality. Illustration: Lisa Nelson

Judge slams home affairs department for ‘unintelligible, illogical babble’ in gay case

An immigration official rejected the asylum application of a man from Chad who was jailed solely for homosexuality in his home country

Congolese artist Alexandre Kyungu Mwilambwe. (Supplied)

The art of identity and migration

Artist explores the way that personal history challenges the concepts of home and belonging

Ireland celebrates 30 years of ‘shared values’ with SA, reiterates support for Palestine

Irish companies have developed a significant presence in South Africa and employ more than 12 500 people

File photo by ER Lombard/Gallo Images via Getty Images

Cabinet applauds conviction of Home Affairs officials in fraudulent passport scheme

Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber said the convictions proved that corruption could be defeated

If South Africa is intent on fulfilling the provisions of the AfCFTA, then the department of home affairs must relax, rather than retract, its visa requirements for people from other countries, particularly African ones.(Gallo)

White Paper on immigration fails Africa’s free trade aspirations

The African Continental Free Trade Area endorses immigration, yet South Africa’s home affairs department is pushing for stringent requirements for visas

Lies and stereotypes: A march against migrants in Pretoria. Photo: Alet Pretorius/Getty Images

Myths and realities: Are migrants really the problem?

Public figures are often quick to heighten negative stereotypes about migrants

77 people died and when the building they lived in burnt down in Johannesburg.

Open a commission of inquiry into Joburg inferno

At least 73 people have died and scores injured when the building they lived in burnt down

Libya’s southwestern tip in the Sahara bordering Algeria and Niger has turned into an open door for migrants and refugees from sub-Saharan countries heading for Europe.

Africa’s forgotten colony in the Sahara

Rich in resources but largely unrecognised, those in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic eke out a livelihood under harsh conditions.

The former president has called for the movement of people and goods between South Africa and African states to be easier

Motlanthe: Our immigration policy has lost Africa’s trust

The former president has called for the movement of people and goods between South Africa and African states to be easier

Reckless: Operation Dudula members attack black Africans in Alexandra, Johannesburg. Getting rid of poor black foreigners will not stop crime and solve the unemployment problem.  (Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Xenophobia and the beggaring of neighbours

South Africa is quick to forget ubuntu or its own destabilising role when it comes to regional policies