Cape Town – Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola says South Africa will continue to oppose attempts to single out the country over allegations of xenophobia, arguing that migration is a continental challenge that requires a comprehensive African Union (AU) response.
Briefing the media in Pretoria on recent developments in South Africa’s foreign policy, Lamola said the issue was raised after Ghana sought to place South Africa’s alleged xenophobia on the agenda of the AU Executive Council.
According to Lamola, the Executive Council did not support including the matter for discussion at the AU’s midterm meeting scheduled for October.
“The AU will discuss it in the next summit. Ghana attempted to introduce the matter, and the AU Executive Council did not agree that it was relevant for the midterm in October,” Lamola said.
He argued that any discussion on migration should address the broader causes of population movement across Africa, including conflict, climate change, unemployment, economic inequality, and political instability.
“We raised our view that any discussion on this matter must be comprehensive, deal with the push and pull factors, the root causes of illegal migration, climate change, economic peace and stability, democracy, in a comprehensive manner,” he said.
Lamola stressed that migration is not unique to South Africa, noting that many African countries face similar challenges.
“There is no discussion that will be helpful that will just focus on South Africa, because we are not the only country facing a migration challenge,” he said.
[WATCH] “This is a burden of the whole continent, not just South Africa,” International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola explains why SA wanted the African Union to discuss both push and pull factors regarding migration – not just a purported xenophobia in SA, as it was Ghana’s… pic.twitter.com/5mLFkb4rva
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He added that South Africa receives one of the highest numbers of migrants on the continent, partly because of its commitment to African integration and regional mobility.
The minister warned that placing South Africa alone on the AU agenda would amount to a process of “naming and shaming” rather than finding practical solutions.
“If you just want to put it on the agenda and say it’s xenophobia in South Africa, South Africa will be almost like in some kind of court or inquiry where we must go there and defend ourselves. That will be a zero-sum game,” he said.
Instead, Lamola urged the AU to revive its 2015 Johannesburg resolution calling for a continent-wide conference on migration.
He said such a conference would allow member states, AU institutions and experts to develop evidence-based recommendations to address migration across Africa.
“The solution is already there. The African Union, in its wisdom, took a resolution in 2015 calling for a comprehensive conference on migration. That resolution must now be implemented,” Lamola said.
Lamola also confirmed that South Africa is cooperating with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is expected to visit the country as part of its work on the issue.
He maintained that while South Africa is prepared to defend its position if necessary, a broader, research-driven discussion on migration would be more constructive than focusing solely on one country.
“We don’t have a problem defending ourselves if there is a need, but we believe that will not provide a solution. We must deal with the root causes of migration rather than simply treating the symptoms,” Lamola concluded.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
