SA’s booming economy lures immigrants

A article found on iol.co.za has a look at a alternative look at the booming south African ecomomy

Source (iol.co.za) As long as South Africa’s economy continues to boom, immigrants from neighbouring states would continue to flood the country, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Thursday. Addressing MPs during her budget vote debate, Mapisa-Nqakula said economic migration was an international phenomenon confronting every region of the globe. “There is not a country in the world which does not face an influx from its neighbours if it is economically more stable. “It is logical that our economy would be a magnet for economic migrants from the region,” she said. Mapisa-Nqakula, who was speaking against the backdrop of mounting concerns on the growing number of refugees in the country, particularly Zimbabwean citizens, reminded MPs about the important role played by migrant workers in the development of the country’s economy. “South Africa has long relied on those workers to help build our economy,” she said. However, Mapisa-Nqakula said this did not mean the department was absolving itself from the responsibility to enforce the country’s immigration laws. “That is not to say that we should invite or even tolerate a free for all. “As Home Affairs we have a role in regulating the status of those who come from other countries looking for work and in administering the protection the law offers to genuine asylum seekers.” The backlog in the processing of asylum seekers’ permanent residence applications, Mapisa-Nqakula said, would soon be a thing of the past. “Already, we are able to report that since our last budget debate we have been able to clear the backlog of 13 000 applications for permanent residences,” she said. – Sapa

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