The SALGA National Summit on Migration which took place early this month in Limpopo was a momentous occasion for South Africa, signifying the start of an unprecedented important multisectoral, intergovernmental program to manage migration challenges.

The impact of unmanaged migration in municipalities took centre stage during the deliberation at the SALGA’s National Summit on International Migration in Polokwane, 8 -9 March 2023, where stakeholders across all spheres of government gathered with the common purpose; to coordinate all partners to effectively manage international migration and agree on a government cooperation agreement.

The SALGA National Conference which took place last year March 2022, resolved that SALGA must facilitate the establishment of an intergovernmental program that will seek to address challenges related to illegal migration affecting municipalities.  This was brought about by municipalities along the country’s borders raising difficulties on a range of issues associated with population movement and settlement within their boundaries, of undocumented individuals. SALGA deemed it necessary to host a National Summit on Migration with the purpose of developing a government cooperation agreement to address migration issues.

It was a moment of self-introspection: The delegates acknowledged that migration is a global phenomenon that needed to be controlled and regularized within the South African legal prescripts to prevent irregular migration that can lead to criminal activities.  And that immigration is a complex issue that affects the SADC region and requires urgent attention from policymakers and local government authorities.

A rather bold acknowledgement was a sense that delegates felt that they have been a failure in part in managing international migration over a long period of time, and that it has reached crisis proportions.

Evidently, this was arguably the deepest public self-introspection by those who are entrusted with authority and managing the affairs of government, in a gathering that was attended by the Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaled, National and Provincial Government, Executive Mayors, Government Officials, Public Entities, Civil Society, Business and Traditional Leaders, Stakeholders, among others.

SALGA is pleased to announce that a stakeholder task team will be established to jointly develop an intergovernmental programme to manage illegal immigration, crime, economic development, and other migration issues. Municipalities must ensure the development and implementation of bylaws to manage their spaces. Municipalities must develop policies governing trade in their jurisdiction. Traditional leadership has been urged to manage the selling of land to illegal immigrants in their areas.

Home Affairs was tasked to lead the development of a system that is able to monitor asylum seekers in the country. Municipalities will now make use of the national department of health lab to monitor and investigate possible counterfeit food to prevent cases of food poisoning.

The Border Management Agency (BMA) is the authority established to take responsibility of border management, and the summit provided it with the opportunity for mobilization of stakeholders to work with the entity.

On cross-border crime and collaborations and environmental factors: the summit agreed to develop strategies for cross-border collaboration to deal with cross-border crimes. SALGA will now become part of the border forums established by SANDF.

Calls were made for border management agency to address porous borders in the country as the current border conditions pose threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of South Africa

In harnessing economic opportunities presented by migration, SALGA has been mandated to support the preparation of municipalities to be globally competitive and advance the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and turn migration into a developmental opportunity as opposed to a threat.

The purpose of the National Migration Summit was to establish the coordination of all relevant partners for the effective management of migration, to unpack the implications of unmanaged migration in countries. There is a dire need for more effective cooperative governance, and collaboration to manage the borders of the country by the different sectors of government, business, civil society, and communities.

Local authorities are responsible for not only the changing geographic boundaries but also the changing populations within them. The changing population dynamics imposed by unmanaged migration have sparked calls for more resources to be considered for municipalities, particulary for municipalities with international borders and for a more concerted effort to effectively manage international migration.

Illegal Migration presents unique challenges to municipalities and affects the processes of the municipalities differently. There are municipalities with highly fluid populations, particularly those with international borders whose capacity to render services is severely strained by the increased numbers. This ranges from spatial planning, economic growth, safety and security, provision of services to other constitutional requirements that are expected from the local government sector,” he said.

The resources, both human and financial do not address these challenges that are experienced by municipalities. The equitable allocation is based on the population size and revenue base of a municipality and does not take into consideration the immigrants that are not documented but are in municipal spaces.

SALGA is encouraged by the vote of confidence by Minister Motsoaledi and the summit delegates in that; a common program of action for all government spheres and stakeholders was necessary for the effective management of international migration.

Wriiten by Sivuyile Mbambato. He writtes the piece in his capacity as a Media Relations Practitioner at SALGA