African Leaders Must Align on Migration Policy, South Africa President Tells Pan-African P

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR COORDINATED AFRICAN RESPONSE TO MIGRATION AMID ESCALATING VIOLENCE

President Cyril Ramaphosa stood before the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand on Monday and called on African nations to strengthen cooperation on immigration enforcement and harmonize their legal frameworks around migration policy. The parliament, which serves as the legislative body of the African Union, heard Ramaphosa frame migration management as a collective continental challenge requiring unified institutional action.

“We call on this Pan-African Parliament to take up the mantle of leadership, to be at the forefront of finding sustainable solutions to this issue,” Ramaphosa said in his opening address. He added that “the measure of Africa’s development will not only be the ease with which Africans can move across borders. It will also be the extent to which every African country offers all its citizens sufficient opportunity, dignity and hope.”

The address arrives under acute institutional pressure. Since March, more than 160,000 migrants have departed South Africa, either through deportation or in response to threats of violence. At least four migrants have been killed in recent weeks as xenophobic violence has escalated across the country. Anti-migrant groups have set an unofficial June 30th deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, and violence against foreign nationals has reached unprecedented levels.

Ramaphosa had already announced a series of reforms in June targeting undocumented migration, while cautioning against violence by non-state actors. His latest remarks signal a shift toward emphasizing both stricter enforcement mechanisms and addressing the underlying conditions that fuel migration and xenophobic sentiment alike.

The South African Police Service has come under sustained criticism from multiple quarters. Foreign ministries have condemned the agency for its role in extrajudicial killings and torture of migrants in police custody. Human rights observers have also documented a pattern in which officers conduct immigration enforcement raids that sometimes result in the detention of individuals holding valid documentation. Critics argue these operations fail to protect migrants and asylum seekers from hate crimes while simultaneously targeting vulnerable populations under the guise of immigration law enforcement. The accountability gap is significant.

Meanwhile, structural labor abuses compound the crisis. South Africa has long served as a regional economic magnet, attracting migrants seeking better employment prospects, yet many operate within exploitative conditions. Workers frequently earn below minimum wage, face systematic deprivation of labor and employment rights, and work under substandard conditions. Amnesty International has previously called on South African authorities to address these structural abuses alongside the persistent culture of xenophobic violence.

Ramaphosa’s address acknowledged that xenophobia, misinformation, and scapegoating have fueled recent unrest. Studies have contradicted the widespread narrative that migrants contribute disproportionately to violent crime, yet this misconception continues to drive public sentiment and vigilante action. The president indicated that addressing root causes of migration and countering false narratives must accompany stricter enforcement of immigration law.

The convergence of these challenges reflects a governance crisis spanning multiple institutions. Immigration enforcement, labor protections, police accountability, and public safety all intersect in the current situation. Ramaphosa’s call for continental cooperation suggests recognition that migration management cannot be addressed through enforcement alone. The gap between policy rhetoric and institutional performance on the ground, particularly regarding police conduct and the protection of vulnerable populations, remains the central question his government has yet to answer.