Xenophobia in South Africa

The instance of xenophobia in South Africa is largely linked to immigration. The South African government last year repatriated 170,000 people. The great majority of these people were undocumented immigrants from various countries in Africa. One hundred thousand came from Mozambique, 50,000 from Zimbabwe, 6,000 from Lesotho and 3,500 each from Swaziland and Malawi. The figures do not tell the whole story of undocumented immigrants who cross South Africa's borders in search of safety and better opportunities. There are thousands of foreign nationals who, while they do not possess legalising documents, stay undetected in the country for long periods of time. In addition, there are thousands of immigrants from the continent who are refugees and others who hold various types of permits, including documents for work and study purposes. The increased immigration was a predictable consequence of South Africa's democratic breakthrough in 1994. More immigrants, and not less, are going to come to South Africa. This will continue to be the case each year until both the political and economic conditions on the continent change for the better and Africa has been fully integrated into the global economy, as envisaged in the Millennium Partnership for the African Recovery Programme, however initial regional integration is necessary before any of this occurs.