The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa welcomes the newly unveiled white paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.
The white paper offers much needed policy certainty in matters of citizenship and the movement of people across international borders.
Since 1994, South Africans have experienced an influx of largely undocumented foreign nationals and economic migrants, for which they were not prepared. Frustration, fear and outright xenophobia became the knee jerk response of many ordinary South Africans. This posed an urgent challenge to political and policy leadership. The white paper is a timely intervention in that regard.
It borrows from experiences of African countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, eSwatini and Angola, who have contextualised international treaties in accordance with Protocols embraced by the African Union, striking a healthy balance between the legitimate expectations of foreign nationals, including refugees and asylum seekers, on the one hand, and South African citizens on the other.
The Evangelical Alliance congratulates the Minister of Home Affairs for the white paper, aligning it with the constitution and laws of the country.
It is now up to South Africans to participate in shaping the democracy they want, by responding to the white paper.
Reverend Moss Ntlha, TEASA Secretary General
15 November 2023
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