KGALEMA MOTLANTHE | Time to talk seriously about migration

South Africa is once again confronting one of the most difficult and emotionally charged policy questions of our democratic era: migration.

The debate is unfolding amid deep social and economic strain. Unemployment remains extraordinarily high. Inequality continues to define daily life for millions. Public services are under pressure, local economies are uneven, and communities increasingly feel anxious about opportunity, safety and belonging. In this environment, migration has become a focal point for wider frustrations about governance, economic insecurity and social cohesion.

But migration cannot be reduced to a slogan, a scapegoat or a single-issue political argument. It is a complex structural reality that intersects with labour markets, border management, regional development, public services, documentation systems, trade, law enforcement and continental co-operation. It is a profoundly human issue involving families, livelihoods, dignity and survival.

For that reason, the migration question demands careful reflection rather than simplistic conclusions.

As the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, sponsored by MTN, prepares to convene its July 23 dialogue under the theme “Continent and Migration”, the intention is not to impose predetermined answers but to create a platform for thoughtful engagement and constructive dialogue. It aims to create a space where policymakers, government and business leaders, civil society organisations, academics and communities can engage honestly with a matter that affects the future of South Africa and the continent.

South Africa’s relationship with migration did not begin in the present moment. Movement across provinces, communities and borders has shaped the country’s economic and social history for generations. The growth of the mining economy, in particular, depended heavily on migrant labour, a reminder that migration has long been embedded in the region’s economic life.

Across Africa more broadly, mobility has always formed part of trade, education, family life and economic survival. It depends heavily on governance systems, public trust and the quality of co-operation between states.

This is why the migration debate must ultimately become a governance debate. The real question is whether institutions are capable of managing migration effectively, lawfully and humanely. That requires competent administration, credible documentation systems, effective border management, reliable data, co-ordinated law enforcement and responsive public services. It also requires political leadership capable of balancing constitutional obligations with legitimate public concerns.

In moments of uncertainty, societies reveal their political maturity not by avoiding difficult conversations, but by engaging them with honesty, restraint and humanity.

Any sustainable approach to migration must uphold legality while resisting the temptation to dehumanise vulnerable people or inflame social divisions.

At the same time, it is equally important to acknowledge that many communities experience migration through the pressures they encounter daily: overcrowded clinics, strained schools, competition for jobs and perceptions of uneven enforcement of the law. Ignoring these realities weakens public trust and deepens polarisation. Productive dialogue requires these anxieties to be taken seriously.

The challenge before South Africa is twofold: to maintain constitutional integrity while strengthening state capacity, public confidence and growing prosperity.

Migration is not a domestic issue and affects every African economy. It is increasingly tied to continental questions of development, trade, investment and regional integration. The African Continental Free Trade Area, alongside broader African Union development initiatives, reflects a recognition that mobility and economic integration are connected.

Yet integration cannot succeed without governance. Countries of origin, transit and destination all carry responsibilities. Regional co-operation on documentation, mobility, border systems and economic development will become increasingly important as Africa’s economies and populations evolve.

The dialogue will consider the lived realities of migration itself — the experiences of citizens, migrants, workers, families, employers, local authorities and civil society organisations. These perspectives matter because migration is not experienced in the abstract. It is encountered in workplaces, neighbourhoods, schools, transport systems, local economies and in families.

Importantly, the purpose of such engagement is not to produce instant consensus. Democratic societies rarely resolve difficult questions through uniformity of opinion. Progress often begins instead with the willingness to listen, confront complexity honestly and resist polarisation.

South Africa has faced difficult national questions before. Its history demonstrates that dialogue, however imperfect, has often provided a path away from division and towards institutional reform.

The migration question will not disappear. Demographic pressures, economic inequality, climate disruption, conflict and uneven development across regions mean that human mobility is likely to remain a defining feature of the 21st century. The task, therefore, is not to pretend migration can simply be wished away. The task is to govern it responsibly.

The forthcoming Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation seminar is ultimately an invitation to undertake that work seriously: to reflect on migration not only as a security or administrative issue, but also as a question of governance, development, social cohesion and Africa’s shared future.

In moments of uncertainty, societies reveal their political maturity not by avoiding difficult conversations, but by engaging them with honesty, restraint and humanity.

• The foundation’s annual Winter Seminar is in Sandton on Thursday July 23. The publication of this article coincides with the birthday of the foundation’s patron, former president Kgalema Motlanthe