Immigration and Immigrants in South Africa

Abstract

Since the beginning of its political transition, South Africa has witnessed the influx of many immigrants, particularly Africans. A Country of immigration, it had adopted in the thirties a « whites only » immigration policy, while foreign as well as local black people were restricted to a temporary migrant worker status. The reversal of its pro-active (white) immigration policy in 1990 has been supplemented by an unprecedented level of repression of « illegal » immigration. Although they have never been recognised as such, black immigrants are the most numerous component of the South African immigrant population. After giving an account of this situation, this article endeavours to take stock of the immigrants population as a whole, by covering the whole range of permanent, temporary, refugee and « illegal » immigrant status and populations.