Immigration to South Africa
Encyclopedia
South Africa
has an uncommon demographic profile, marked by a heterogeneous population base, social issues brought on by the legacy of apartheid, divisions within ethnic groups, HIV/AIDS and emigration. The Rainbow Nation
demography consequently plays a prominent role in public policy.
Blacks compose about 79.7% (2007 est.) of the population and represent different ethnic groups, including Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele
, Pedi, Sotho
and Swazi, as well as recent immigrants from other parts of Africa
(particularly Zimbabwe
and Nigeria
). Whites
compose 9.1% (2007 est), being the descendants of Dutch
, French
, British
, and German settlers who began arriving at the Cape from the late 17th century, immigrants from Europe
who arrived in South Africa in the twentieth century, and Portuguese who left the former Portuguese colonies of southern Africa (Angola and Mozambique) after their independence in the mid-1970s. Coloured
s (8.8%, 2007 est) are mixed-race people primarily descended from the earliest settlers, their slaves, and the indigenous peoples. The remaining 2.4% are categorised as 'Indian/Asian
', including the descendants of Indian indentured sugar estate workers and traders who came to South Africa in the mid-19th (particularly around Natal), as well as a small Chinese population of approximately 100,000 people.
South Africa has reltively high rates of emigration (the majority of whom are White). According to OECD data, countries with a large number of South African immigrants (irrespective of naturalisation) include the United Kingdom
(141,405, 2001 est), Australia
(79,425, 2001 est), United States
(68,290 est, 2000 est), Canada
(37,680, 2001 est) and New Zealand
(26,061, 2001 est). Smaller South African communities are in Portugal
, Netherlands
, Greece
and Ireland
.
For lower class immigrants standards of living have been lower. Africans, especially, have formed part of this group, and have been the victims of countless wrongdoings.
On May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of Alexandra
(in the north-eastern part of Johannesburg
) when locals attacked migrants from Mozambique
, Malawi
and Zimbabwe
, killing two people and injuring 40 others.
The violence spread to other townships later that week across the Gauteng Province of South Africa with riots reported in several settlements including Diepsloot, Johannesburg
central, Jeppestown
, Hillbrow and others. A man was burnt to death near Reiger Park
on the East Rand. Police had arrested more than 200 people on charges including murder
, attempted murder
, rape
, public violence
and robbery
. Armed police used tear gas and rubber bullets
to quell rioting in central Johannesburg, attacks on foreigners and looting of foreign owned shops. The violence then spread to the coastal city of Durban
Criticism also exists in the form of immigrants to South Africa getting upset with the authorities. As of mid-2010, the South African Department of Home Affairs has removed the ability for people to lodge immigration applications locally and regionally, and these are now all sent to what has been nicknamed "The Hub" by immigration practitioners and consultancies. This is an effort to try and curb the corruption and bribery which was rife in the local Home Affairs offices, and has to some extent succeeded in doing so. The Department of Home Affairs has also threatened to remove Immigration Practitioners from the Immigration Act, which would effectively mean that only lawyers or state-appointed immigration officers could represent someone in lodging a permit application, otherwise they would have to submit themselves, and in person. This in the face of the long waiting times to receive most permits.
The 16 leading immigration companies of South Africa have teamed up to sue the Department of Home Affairs with the goal to get a better service quality of the department and better processing times for permits.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
has an uncommon demographic profile, marked by a heterogeneous population base, social issues brought on by the legacy of apartheid, divisions within ethnic groups, HIV/AIDS and emigration. The Rainbow Nation
Rainbow Nation
Rainbow Nation is a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe post-apartheid South Africa, after South Africa's first fully democratic election in 1994....
demography consequently plays a prominent role in public policy.
Blacks compose about 79.7% (2007 est.) of the population and represent different ethnic groups, including Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele
Ndebele
- Ethnic groups :*South Ndebele people, located in the South Africa*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe, and Botswana- Languages :*Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele...
, Pedi, Sotho
Sotho
Sotho may refer to:*The Sotho people , an African ethnic group principally resident in South Africa and Lesotho.*The Sotho language , a Bantu Language spoken in southern Africa, an official language of both South Africa and Lesotho.*The Northern Sotho language , a group of related Bantu dialects...
and Swazi, as well as recent immigrants from other parts of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
(particularly Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
). Whites
Whites in South Africa
White South African is a term which refers to people from South Africa who are of European descent and who don't regard themselves, or are not regarded as being part of another racial group, for example, as Coloured...
compose 9.1% (2007 est), being the descendants of Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
, French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
, and German settlers who began arriving at the Cape from the late 17th century, immigrants from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
who arrived in South Africa in the twentieth century, and Portuguese who left the former Portuguese colonies of southern Africa (Angola and Mozambique) after their independence in the mid-1970s. Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
s (8.8%, 2007 est) are mixed-race people primarily descended from the earliest settlers, their slaves, and the indigenous peoples. The remaining 2.4% are categorised as 'Indian/Asian
Asians in South Africa
The majority of the Asian South African population is Indian in origin, most of them descended from indentured workers transported to work in the 19th century on the sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area, then known as Natal. They are largely English speaking, although many also retain the...
', including the descendants of Indian indentured sugar estate workers and traders who came to South Africa in the mid-19th (particularly around Natal), as well as a small Chinese population of approximately 100,000 people.
South Africa has reltively high rates of emigration (the majority of whom are White). According to OECD data, countries with a large number of South African immigrants (irrespective of naturalisation) include the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(141,405, 2001 est), Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(79,425, 2001 est), United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(68,290 est, 2000 est), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(37,680, 2001 est) and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(26,061, 2001 est). Smaller South African communities are in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
South Africa as an immigration destination currently
The general experience for middle and upper class people immigrating to South Africa is that of a wonderful country with a great standard of living where one can buy more than at home and the beauty of the country is abundant. The HSBC Expat Experience Report 2009 recorded South Africa as the 6th best experience one can get in a new country.For lower class immigrants standards of living have been lower. Africans, especially, have formed part of this group, and have been the victims of countless wrongdoings.
Challenges for immigrants
As mentioned, immigrants have generally had a good experience in South Africa, although in 2008 and sporadically since then, xenophobia has reared its ugly head.On May 12, 2008 a series of riots started in the township of Alexandra
Alexandra
Alexandra is the feminine form of the given name Alexander, which is a romanization of the Greek name Αλέξανδρος . Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξειν "to defend" and the noun ἀνδρός , genitive of ἀνήρ "man". Thus it may be roughly translated as "protector of man"...
(in the north-eastern part of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
) when locals attacked migrants from Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, killing two people and injuring 40 others.
The violence spread to other townships later that week across the Gauteng Province of South Africa with riots reported in several settlements including Diepsloot, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
central, Jeppestown
Jeppestown, Gauteng
Jeppestown is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region 8.-History:Jeppestown was established in or after 1886 by C.E.G. Julius Jeppe, who formed the Ford and Jeppe Estate Company with his son, who was also called Julius Jeppe, and L.P. Ford. In 1893, the Masonic temple was...
, Hillbrow and others. A man was burnt to death near Reiger Park
Reiger Park
Reiger Park is a coloured township situated in Boksburg on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established as Stirtonville after the Second World War when was an influx of people from the rural areas seeking work on the gold mines...
on the East Rand. Police had arrested more than 200 people on charges including murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, public violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. Armed police used tear gas and rubber bullets
Rubber Bullets
"Rubber Bullets" is a song by 10cc from their debut self-titled album.Written and sung by Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and Graham Gouldman and produced by 10cc, "Rubber Bullets" was the band's first number one single in the United Kingdom, spending a single week at the top in June 1973. It fared worse...
to quell rioting in central Johannesburg, attacks on foreigners and looting of foreign owned shops. The violence then spread to the coastal city of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
Criticism also exists in the form of immigrants to South Africa getting upset with the authorities. As of mid-2010, the South African Department of Home Affairs has removed the ability for people to lodge immigration applications locally and regionally, and these are now all sent to what has been nicknamed "The Hub" by immigration practitioners and consultancies. This is an effort to try and curb the corruption and bribery which was rife in the local Home Affairs offices, and has to some extent succeeded in doing so. The Department of Home Affairs has also threatened to remove Immigration Practitioners from the Immigration Act, which would effectively mean that only lawyers or state-appointed immigration officers could represent someone in lodging a permit application, otherwise they would have to submit themselves, and in person. This in the face of the long waiting times to receive most permits.
The 16 leading immigration companies of South Africa have teamed up to sue the Department of Home Affairs with the goal to get a better service quality of the department and better processing times for permits.