Migration tensions test Pretoria’s African ambitions

Less than a week after President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenyan President William Ruto stood at the Union Buildings promoting trade, investment and African integration, South Africa is sending envoys across the continent to explain its migration crackdown. The diplomatic effort follows Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Sunday, in which he announced a raft of measures aimed at tackling illegal immigration, including immigration courts, intensified deportations, labour migration quotas and tighter border controls. The decision to dispatch envoys received far less attention than the enforcement measures themselves. Yet it may prove to be one of the most revealing aspects of the government’s response. In an interview with Ghana’s Joy FM this week, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola acknowledged that recent anti-foreigner tensions had affected South Africa’s relations on the continent. Asked whether recent events had strained ties with African countries, Lamola replied: “Yes, it has.” “That’s why we feel duty bound to explain to our African sister countries.” The remarks suggest Pretoria is now dealing with more than a domestic migration debate. It is also trying to contain growing diplomatic fallout across Africa. That fallout is most visible in Ghana. In May, nearly 300 Ghanaians returned home from South Africa amid growing tensions around migration and anti-foreigner protests. Ghanaian authorities have since indicated that they are documenting losses suffered by Ghanaian-owned businesses and individuals, while compensation has become part of the public debate. The issue has dominated news coverage in Ghana, where questions about the safety of African migrants and South Africa’s commitment to pan-African ideals have featured prominently. South African officials, however, have pushed back against some of the claims. Lamola told Joy FM that 74% of the Ghanaians who returned had oversta