Delivering the keynote address on behalf of SA’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation Winter Seminar in Sandton, Johannesburg, Lamola said migration-related challenges require honest and constructive debate.
Lamola said current discussions around migration, border management, social cohesion, economic competition and public service delivery have generated strong views and deep emotions. “We have not gathered here to impose predetermined answers or reinforce existing positions,” Lamola said.
Lamola said platforms such as the seminar are important because they allow difficult questions to be discussed respectfully and with a focus on solutions.
According to Lamola, migration is not new, as people have always moved in search of safety, opportunity, family reunification and a better future. However, Lamola said migration also raises legitimate concerns around governance, resource allocation, identity and social integration.
Lamola said SA must avoid blaming migrants for the country’s social and economic challenges. “We must resist simple narratives that seek to blame migrants for all our social and economic problems,” Lamola said.
At the same time, Lamola said the concerns of communities about immigration management, border security, labour markets and pressure on public services should not be dismissed. “To dismiss these fears is not to forge social cohesion but to undermine public trust,” Lamola said.
Lamola said migration policy must be based on facts rather than feelings and must balance security, humanity, national interest and human rights.
The address also emphasised that SA cannot resolve migration challenges alone. Lamola said sustainable solutions require cooperation across Africa, particularly within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). “The migration challenge confronting SA cannot be addressed through SA solutions alone,” Lamola said.
Lamola said migration from SADC countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Malawi is shaped by economic pressures, governance challenges, environmental factors and long-standing family and cultural links across borders.
According to Lamola, SADC states need deeper cooperation on development, youth unemployment, governance, skills mobility and regional investment.
Lamola said SA remains committed to Pan-Africanism and continues to welcome legal migrants from across the continent. “South Africans are not inherently xenophobic; they are a welcoming and Pan-Africanist people,” Lamola said.
Lamola said government is strengthening migration management through coordinated work involving the SA Police Service, Department of Home Affairs and Border Management Authority.
While citizens have the right to protest peacefully, Lamola said immigration enforcement remains the responsibility of the state and must not be replaced by vigilantism. “Worries about illegal immigration are legitimate issues for public debate and government action, but they must be addressed lawfully and democratically, not through vigilante justice or hostility toward migrants,” Lamola said.
Lamola concluded that secure borders, effective migration management and African solidarity are complementary goals needed to build a stable and prosperous region.
–ChannelAfrica–
