Migration crisis in Africa: why South Africa should not bear the burden alone

The concept of Ubuntu, meaning 'my humanity is inextricably bound up with yours,' was often recalled by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, emphasizing the interconnectedness of humanity. Nelson Mandela's words that no one is born hating another person because of their skin color, background, or religion remain relevant today, as South Africa transitions to democracy.

South Africa is currently at a critical juncture as migrants and refugees face threats, intimidation, and uncertainty. Families are forced to leave their homes, and small businesses that supported the economy of settlements are closing down. Children are interrupting their education, and many innocent people live in fear, confined, afraid to go out into the streets where they once lived and worked peacefully.

By supporting calls for a response based on Ubuntu, constitutional democracy, and universal human values, one of the founders of the Ubuntu Humanistic Values Protection Group insists that this challenge must be addressed with wisdom, not anger; with justice, not revenge; with courage, not silence.

It is acknowledged that South Africans have legitimate concerns related to high unemployment, rising crime, poverty, corruption, inefficiency of public services, and weak immigration management. These problems require serious attention from the government and cannot be ignored. However, the other truth cannot be ignored either: collectively blaming migrants for national problems does not create jobs or reduce crime rates.

Such accusations merely redirect public anger onto vulnerable people who themselves are often victims of conflict, economic collapse, or political instability. When any community is persecuted because of its nationality or place of origin, the moral fabric of the nation weakens.

History demonstrates an important lesson: during the long struggle against apartheid, many African countries opened their borders to South African exiles, accepting movements for liberation, educating youth, and supporting freedom fighters when the rest of the world turned away.

Despite the need to respect this legacy, it does not mean ignoring the rule of law. Every sovereign nation has the right and duty to manage its borders effectively, and immigration laws must be enforced fairly. Individuals who commit crimes, regardless of nationality, must be held fully accountable under the law, just like corrupt officials who facilitate illegal activities.

However, there is a profound difference between ensuring legality and allowing vigilantism. Justice must be administered in courts, not on the streets. No individual or group has the authority to intimidate, attack, or collectively punish others solely because of their foreign citizenship. Such actions undermine the Constitution, erode trust in the law, and diminish the values upon which democratic South Africa was founded.

The economic consequences are also significant. The settlement economy depends on networks of suppliers, traders, and entrepreneurs from various segments of society. Agriculture, construction, hospitality, and other sectors have long depended on migrant labor. Disrupting these links harms not only migrants but also South African workers, consumers, and businesses. Social instability deters investment and damages South Africa's standing in Africa and the global community.

Swami Sivananda taught humanity through four simple yet profound words: 'Love all. Serve all.' He reminded us that we are not merely physical beings divided by race, nationality, or language, but spiritual beings sharing a common Divine source. Service to humanity is service to God. Love that excludes is not true love.

Mahatma Gandhi shared this view, noting that the measure of civilization is how it treats its most vulnerable members. Compassion is not weakness, but moral strength. The main enemies of South Africa are not migrants, but poverty, unemployment, inequality, corruption, crime, and poor governance. These battles require our collective effort, and they can be overcome by building effective institutions, creating jobs, strengthening ethical leadership, and promoting regional cooperation in South Africa.

Ubuntu calls for recognizing our shared humanity while demanding accountability. It urges rejecting hatred without abandoning justice, and encourages dialogue where others seek division. Silence in the face of suffering is never neutral; every person of conscience has a duty to speak when innocent people live in fear because of who they are or where they come from.

The vision of South Africa conceived by Nelson Mandela was never a country of fear, exclusion, or scapegoating. It was a nation where diversity served as a source of strength, where the Constitution protected the dignity of every person, and where Ubuntu guided the national conscience. This vision remains achievable.

It is necessary to reject xenophobia without disregarding legitimate societal concerns. Immigration management must be strengthened while protecting human dignity. The law must be upheld without abandoning our humanity. Above all, we must remember that the true test of Ubuntu lies not in how we treat those who are like us, but in how we treat those who are different from us. For by protecting the dignity of the stranger, we preserve the dignity of South Africa itself.

The global community is experiencing an acute labor shortage amid declining birth rates. While the population of South Africa continues to grow, the country faces a serious problem in creating enough jobs for its youth.

Major world economies fear they will lack young talent to sustain economic growth. Although South Africa has a sufficient population, it fails to provide employment for it. This paradox is reflected in the Average Population Assessment forecasts from Statistics South Africa for 2026.

According to these estimates, the country's population grew from 42.9 million in 2002 to an estimated 63.5 million in 2026, showing a 1.2% increase between 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile, the fertility rate has dropped to approximately 2.12 children per woman, which is close to the replacement level.

Globally, the population has grown from 6.3 billion to 8.3 billion, representing a 32% increase over the same period.

Global Shift

Worldwide, declining birth rates are increasingly viewed as an economic rather than just a demographic issue. According to the Economic Observatory, this fundamental demographic shift is already having a tangible impact, raising questions about aging populations, shrinking workforces, and the sustainability of social security systems.

A study by the Centre for Global Development warns that slowing workforce growth could lead to reduced productivity, constrained economic expansion, and increased pressure on pension systems and public finances. Experts note that by the 2050s, most people will live in countries with a decreasing absolute number of working-age individuals.

The Economic Observatory emphasizes that this demographic transition is transforming economies, raising questions about the financing of social security systems. However, South Africa is not yet facing this problem.

Continued Growth

Statistics South Africa states that the country's relatively young population allows for population growth to be maintained, even with smaller family sizes. Improved female life expectancy also contributes to what the agency calls a sustainable long-term growth path.

The agency reports that although slightly more boys are born than girls in South Africa, women constitute the majority of the population. In 2026, about 51% of the country's population, or 32.3 million people, are women. Statistics South Africa also notes that in many countries, natural growth is declining due to fertility rates falling below replacement level.

Despite the fact that natural growth rates in South Africa are also slowing, the country continues to show overall population growth. The young population plays a key role in maintaining this growth, as even if women have fewer children, there remains a sufficient number of women of reproductive age, which, combined with increased life expectancy, ensures enough births for population replacement.

A Different Problem

However, South Africa's demographic advantage comes with a completely different challenge. Instead of worrying about a shortage of workers, the country needs to create enough opportunities for millions of young people entering the labor market.

Trading Economics calculated that the youth unemployment rate among those aged 15 to 34 reached 45.8% in the first quarter of 2026, and using an expanded definition, this figure exceeded 60% among the youngest applicants. These figures are confirmed by the quarterly Labor Force Survey from Statistics South Africa for the same period.

Of the 10.3 million people aged 15 to 24, more than a third were unemployed, uneducated, or untrained. The total working-age population of South Africa was 42.2 million, but only 16.8 million were employed, while 8.1 million were unemployed, and 17.3 million were not in the labor force at all.

For economists, this represents a classic demographic paradox: aging countries seek workers to maintain growth, whereas South Africa has a growing pool of potential workers but cannot integrate them into the economy. Demographers call this the demographic dividend—a period when a large number of working-age people can accelerate economic growth. Nevertheless, this dividend is not automatic; without faster economic growth, investment, and job creation, the young population can become a source of rising unemployment rather than a competitive advantage.

The author argues that migration is a problem for all nations, not exclusively a crisis for South Africa. He uses the African proverb: 'When the roof leaks in one house, the rain wets the whole village,' to describe migration as a phenomenon affecting all borders, cities, and countries on the continent and globally.

Accusing South Africa of migration difficulties is viewed by the author as an evasion of examining the true causes of migration. The problem faces all governments—from the Mediterranean to the US-Mexico border, from the Persian Gulf to Europe, from Nairobi to Lagos and Johannesburg—regarding entry control, documentation, and the protection of both citizens and arrivals.

South Africa accepts the largest number of migrants in Africa, which is linked to the fact that after 1994, the country opened its doors to the world, creating an economy, constitution, and institutions that, despite flaws, provide shelter, employment, education, and healthcare. For many people, South Africa becomes a destination.

The author calls for an honest examination of why public outcry on this issue is so strong in one place and so quiet in others. In some parts of North Africa, migration routes are accompanied by horrors documented by IOM, the UN, and international media, including the detention of migrants, human trafficking, beatings, and exploitation, as well as mass expulsions of sub-Saharan Africans into the desert without food or water.

In some Persian Gulf countries, African workers face the 'kafala' system, passport confiscation, and conditions similar to modern slavery. The author emphasizes that this does not justify criminal acts and vigilantism in South Africa, noting that the government firmly condemns such actions and law enforcement agencies are working to apprehend those responsible.

The author criticizes the continent's silence on this discussion, pointing out that when South Africans voice legitimate concerns about crime and strain on social services, the continent responds by labeling it 'Afrophobia' or 'Xenophobia'—terms that have become associated only with South Africa. This, according to the author, is an evasion of responsibility.

South Africa cannot single-handedly bear the weight of the continent's push factors. Responsibility lies with all nations of the world, which must create favorable socio-economic conditions at home—providing jobs, security, governance, and opportunities to reduce illegal migration. If prosperity does not develop where people are born, they will endlessly pursue it at borders.

However, the author acknowledges the challenges faced by host countries like South Africa: overcrowded public clinics, schools, and long housing waiting lists, as well as resource depletion for integrating foreigners. South Africa is likely one of the few African countries that assists undocumented migrants by providing them with services in public hospitals, educating their children, and offering legal protection.

South Africans raise legitimate questions about crimes committed by undocumented migrants that are untraceable and put pressure on communities and services. However, when these concerns are voiced, they are quickly labeled 'xenophobic,' whereas similar phenomena in some of their own countries receive different names, such as 'security operations,' 'urban renewal,' or 'illegal aliens.' The author insists that this is not division, but an expression of democracy—the people's demand to their government.

In 2015, the African Union adopted a resolution to hold a continental conference on migration, which has yet to take place, confirming that this is a continental, not a country-specific, problem. The resolution clearly stated that migration must be managed jointly, with dignity and order. This dialogue occurs too infrequently, and countries remain in cycles of mutual accusation. Key obstacles include documentation, border management, data exchange, job creation, and law enforcement, and they cannot be solved by pointing to one country.

Thus, migration is the rain that falls on us all. We must stop arguing about whose roof is leaking and work together to fix it, because migration is not just a South African problem, but a global challenge requiring a global and African response.