Migrant organisations representing Zimbabweans in South Africa have submitted their input to South Africa’s White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection that aims to completely overhaul that country’s migration system.
South Africa’s government opened the White Paper for public comments in November last year and the process will close at the end of this month.
The White Paper draft policy, which has been in the works since 2019, is intended to provide a framework for granting foreigners residency and citizenship, as well as protecting refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa.
This development came after calls for effective policy measures and legislative interventions dealing with migration in South Africa.
South Africa’s White Paper policy framework on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection is intended to replace three existing national policies: The Citizenship Act 88 of 1995, The Immigration Act, which is act number 13 of 2002 and The Refugees Act 130 of 1998.
South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi acknowledged in previous reports that these pieces of legislation “were not in harmony with each other and were piecemeal amendments made without any policy framework whatsoever.”
“The White Paper makes radical proposals regarding citizenship… The Citizenship Act and Births and Deaths Registration Act must be repealed in their entirety and be included in the single (piece of) legislation dealing with citizenship, immigration and refugee protection,” Dr Motsoaledi said.
As the deadline of January 31, 2024 approaches, Dr Motsoaledi has reminded people to submit their comments on time.
Chairperson of the Zimbabwean Community in South Africa, Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena confirmed the organisation had made its submissions to the White Paper.
“We did so as part of the African Diaspora Forum (ADF),” he told CITE in an interview.
Mabhena said the ADF and Zimbabwean Community in South Africa respect South Africa as a sovereign state to develop its own immigration laws as it sees fit.
“We have therefore studied the White Paper On Migration as presented by the Minister and made our submission in the interests of the migrant communities that we represent,” said the chairperson.
Mabhena, however, could not say exactly what the organisations submitted citing sensitivity around the issue of migration in South Africa.
Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda, leader of the African Diaspora Global Network, stated that his organisation will submit their own comments because migrant interests are protected by international law and United Nations conventions.
“Yes, most definitely we’re going to be submitting comments. Migrant rights need to continue to be protected. So we are definitely going to be doing that and without any fear at all,” he said.
However, Dr Sibanda lamented that the South African government had issued disclaimers on those who were supposed to comment, claiming that they intended to shut out other groups.
“There is a lot of disclaimer that has been put on the White Paper and people that are supposed to comment and even organisations already being referred to as ‘power to wrong organisations’ to comment because they don’t represent people. I think the idea is to try and destroy it, by making sure not as many NGOs that represent particularly the migrant community should not represent them and make their statements,” said the migrant activist.
