Immigrant numbers a misperception – new report

The actual number of foreigners living in South Africa differs sharply from widely held perceptions, according to a new study on migration. Recent research by the Geneva-based Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM) concluded that there were serious methodological flaws in the estimated numbers of migrants in South Africa. "South Africans believe that 25 percent of the population is foreign; the figure is probably closer to three to five percent, with around 500,000 undocumented migrants," the report said. The researchers pointed to other studies which suggested that South Africa's "unauthorised" population was in fact a "floating one", which decreased by over 250,000 as a result of immigration amnesties between 1996-2000. In support of its argument, the report noted that according to the 2001 census the total foreign-born population of South Africans was 1,025,072, including 687,678 from southern Africa, 228,318 from Europe and only 41,817 from the rest of Africa. South Africa's total population is estimated at 45 million. "There is a clear need for the government to perform an accurate analysis of just how many migrants are in the country, as well as where they originate from. Up until now, news reports tend to rely on unsubstantiated figures," Vincent Williams of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa and co-author of the report, told IRIN. He added that to some extent misperceptions of the number of illegal immigrants fuelled xenophobia. More than 10 years after South Africa's first democratic election, migrants complain of systematic discrimination and say they are often blamed for exacerbating social problems such as rising crime, unemployment, or even the spread of diseases. Earlier this year a startling report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said refugee children in South Africa's urban centres most feared encounters with the police and claimed these often resulted in violence. Such children were acutely aware of their status as 'outsiders', and this was constantly reinforced by the local population and police officers. In the context of high levels of crime in South Africa, refugee children said they were often falsely accused of misdemeanours. "A comprehensive strategy to combat xenophobia is urgently needed. There needs to be alternative sources of information about immigrants and their experiences. This would mean a concerted effort from government to publicly denounce acts of hostility towards immigrants," Williams added. A positive development was the shift in attitude by the media when covering issues pertaining to immigration. "In the late 1990s journalists would, without regard, use inflammatory language when referring to immigrants, thereby further marginalising this already alienated community. But now we see that there is a greater sensitivity when reporting, and distinctions are made between criminals and immigrants," he said. South Africa recently introduced a new set of immigration regulations after criticism that the government was not doing enough to counter growing xenophobia on a practical level. But Williams pointed out that more needed to be done. "So far the government has not done much to publicly condemn acts of violence against foreigners - there needs to be greater political will," he commented. "But without a doubt there should be more concrete steps towards creating more interaction between South Africans and foreigners."