SOUTH AFRICA REAFFIRMS PROGRESSIVE STANCE ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 001983 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF PHUM SF SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA REAFFIRMS PROGRESSIVE STANCE ON MIGRATION REF: A. 08 PRETORIA 1549 ¶B. PRETORIA 1959 ¶C. PRETORIA 1740 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) In a September 21 keynote speech to a regional intergovernmental workshop on migration, Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba forcefully reiterated the SAG's commitment to freedom of movement. Nations must shift their paradigms on migration, he said, to see it as a source of economic development to be embraced not resisted. Border controls should aim to document movement, protect vulnerable migrants, and facilitate labor exchanges beneficial to both source and destination countries. Gigaba's address affirmed that the former Mbeki administration's liberal stance on migration was set to continue under President Zuma, despite xenophobic risks and other political pressures. He welcomed the suggestion of meetings between the Embassy and himself and/or Minister Dlamini-Zuma. End Summary. -------------- Migration as a Plus (not Minus) -------------- ¶2. (U) Gigaba urged his regional neighbors to make a paradigm shift, to see migration not as a "nuisance" but rather as a positive engine of development. While globalization had facilitated mobility for skilled and affluent migrants, he said, the movement of poor and low-skilled workers was restricted and often risky. This was because the migration debate was "littered with misconceptions" -- e.g. that migrants cause crime and drain resources, or that mobility could even be stemmed. Migration was seen by both developing and developed countries as a problem to be combated, despite what he said was the fact that most countries were built by migrants, and migration remained an essential element of nation-building. He added that migration should be viewed in light of its mutual benefits to both source and destination countries: remittances were a crucial road out of poverty for the former, while young labor was vital to the declining populations of the latter. Integration of growing numbers of migrants was not only inevitable, but also beneficial to development. -------------- Strategic Management (not Restrictions) -------------- ¶3. (U) The Deputy Minister argued that human capital mobility should be proactively managed, not combated or ignored. Since labor movement was "a fact," and a growing trend "from which no country is immune," the challenge was to harness it proactively and strategically for socio-economic development. In public policy, migration should be integrated explicitly into development strategies and planning frameworks, he said. The right approach would balance skilled professionals and working class laborers. Regional efforts could help mitigate brain-drain effects, which plagued Southern African countries (particularly in the health and education sectors) -- lest emigration of skilled workers perpetuate global economic disparities between first and third worlds. Gigaba called for government initiatives to draw professionals from the overseas diaspora back home, to contribute to the development of their countries of origin. -------------- Regularization -- to Ensure Protection -------------- ¶4. (U) Moving from development rationales to a human rights perspective, Gigaba said the goal of immigration policy was to regularize cross-border movement, in order to minimize Qto regularize cross-border movement, in order to minimize illegal crossings where migrants were vulnerable to harm. "Migration is about people, and... the protection of the human rights of all migrants is a political and ethical imperative." Gigaba explicitly extended this duty to both regular and irregular migrants, "including those regarded as illegal." Echoing the constant refrain of refugee advocacy groups, he warned that migration management must not be "singularly obsessed with security," saying that only shared development could guarantee long-term regional stability. Border control (which "does not mean the same thing as PRETORIA 00001983 002 OF 003 immigration control") should aim to document movement, protect migrants, and enable mutually beneficial labor exchange, the latter with decent wages and other safeguards. Gigaba added that special attention was due to female migrants, who fell prey to abuses like trafficking. -------------- Interagency, Multi-level, and Multilateral -------------- ¶5. (U) The Deputy Minister stressed that migration management required collaboration across government agencies, at all levels, and outreach to non-governmental actors. Integration of migrants was a matter that cut across myriad public services, and hence it could not be considered the sole responsibility of the Ministries of Home Affairs, Interior, or Immigration. Moreover, all tiers of government -- not just national or provincial, but especially the local level where service delivery occurred -- must treat migrants fairly. Officials must further collaborate with private sector businesses, labor unions, and NGOs, and encourage public dialogue. To support policy with fact, governments must work with research institutions to generate credible data and statistics. Finally, beyond national borders, countries must forge bilateral agreements such as visa waivers and regional initiatives such as the Free Movement Protocol of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). -------------- Zimbabwe Policy: Easing "Push" Factors -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Turning to migration's impact on foreign policy, Gigaba addressed the sensitive subject of Zimbabwe, whose exodus of migrants over the last year has been the dominant migration effect on neighboring states. With diplomatic phrasing, Gigaba said that reducing irregular migration would depend on addressing the "root causes of migration and forced displacements" which are "push factors." In this context, he urged support for Zimbabwe's Global Political Agreement and the lifting of international sanctions. Gigaba lamented that many undocumented Zimbabwean migrants fell victim to criminal gangs during unsafe border crossings, and to labor abuses in destination countries. (Comment: many comments during the workshop implicitly referred to troubles in Zimbabwe, but this was a rare occasion when the country was mentioned by name. For their part, Zimbabwe's delegates made the surreal suggestion during Q&A that the key push factor not to be overlooked was climate change. End Comment.) -------------- Follow-up: Minister-Ambassador Meetings -------------- ¶7. (U) In an offline conversation with poloff, the Deputy Minister welcomed the prospect of top-level meetings between Home Affairs and the Embassy. Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (previously Minister of Foreign Affairs),he said, had voiced her interest in greater interaction with the diplomatic community. Gigaba suggested that the U.S. consider two meetings, one with the Minister and one with himself, since their portfolios were very different -- she focused on broad policies, and he on migration and counter-xenophobia. When poloff noted that Ambassador Gips would be credentialed on the same day with his counterparts from the U.K. and Canada, giving rise to the possibility of a joint meeting, Gigaba was receptive to the idea of a collective session. (Note: the same day, Duncan Breen of the Qcollective session. (Note: the same day, Duncan Breen of the NGO Consortium for Refugees and Migrants (CORMSA) phoned to say Gigaba was organizing an interagency working group of SAG deputy ministers on migrant-related issues, and Breen would suggest that the USG be invited to observe. End Note.) -------------- Doors Still Open (Against the Odds) -------------- ¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: This was a landmark address, clearly and unstintingly in favor of human mobility at a time when the SAG's progressive immigration policies are under pressure. Gigaba has made similar remarks before, most notably in the sensitive aftermath of mid-2008 xenophobic violence (ref A). The reaffirmation of SAG openness to migrants was especially significant, however, at an intergovernmental forum of the planners who shape neighbor states' policies, interdependently with South Africa. The speech conveys continuity from the Mbeki to Zuma administrations (as does Gigaba himself, who remained in office under a change of PRETORIA 00001983 003 OF 003 Minister). That continuity is despite a shift from Mbeki's pan-African orientation to Zuma's more domestic focus, and despite 2008's xenophobic attacks which could have prompted an anti-immigrant turn. Finally, Home Affairs sources have warned that some in the ruling ANC favor a more restrictive policy, and some SADC countries are indeed becoming more migrant-intolerant (ref B) -- so the SAG's commitment to migration has overcome both domestic political resistance and regional conservative trends. As a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC),Gigaba carries the authority of the core of the governing party. ¶9. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: Sterling policies emanating from the ministry are a good start. As Gigaba acknowledges, however, South Africa still has much work to do to make those policies a reality on the ground. Operating-level SAG officers continue to mistreat migrants, and little has been done to combat xenophobic prejudices (ref C). End Comment. -------------- Post Script: Top-Level Praise from UNHCR -------------- ¶10. (U) On September 29, Minister Dlamini-Zuma addressed the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)' annual Executive Committee meeting in Geneva, where High Commissioner Antonio Guterres praised South Africa's migration policies as being among the best in the world. GIPS