South Africa’s Home Office Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has revealed measures to toughen immigration and asylum regulations in response to the growing xenophobia in South Africa as the country’s economic crisis intensifies. This move will have far-reaching ramifications for foreign nationals seeking political or economic refuge in the nation.
Africa Today News, New York reports that his proposals are contained in a document, known as a White Paper, which has been released for public discussion as the first step towards adopting legislation that will mark a decisive break with the more embracing policy that the government – led by the African National Congress (ANC) – championed after it took power at the end of the racist system of apartheid in 1994.
Dr. Motsoaledi said the government had committed a “serious mistake” around two years later when it signed up to international agreements – such as the UN’s refugee convention – without requesting exemptions from key terms, indicating the extent to which he envisages adjustments.
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This was unlike many other countries, which opted out of clauses giving asylum-seekers and refugees the same rights as their citizens – including the right to employment and education for their children, he said.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Dr Motsoaledi is also currently pushing for people to seek asylum in the first safe country they enter, meaning they could be denied asylum if they came via other countries.
His proposal would mostly affect those from other African nations, as they form the bulk of refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing conflict and persecution.
According to the UN, about 250,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in South Africa. These are separate from documented or undocumented foreign nationals in the country for other reasons, including better economic opportunities.