Undocumented foreigners should be given amnesty to leave the country and re-enter legally or apply for visas within South Africa.
This is one of the proposals put forward by the Democratic Alliance (DA) following last week’s meeting of its Federal Council, the party’s highest decision-making body.
The DA has detailed to the media what it calls an opportunity focused migration policy based on three tiers.
The party’s proposals come against the background of clashes between foreign nationals and South Africans, lead by Operation Dudula in Alexandra, Johannesburg, this week.
DA Policy Head, Gwen Ngwenya says, “The national government and South Africans already recognise the principle at play here, a good example is what has happened with driver licences, there is currently a grace period for driver licence renewals in recognition of the challenges motorists face and the inefficiencies, corruption and capacity problems at testing centres.”
“You can multiply those problems by some order of magnitude when it comes to Home Affairs so why should foreign nationals not be given amnesty when foreign affairs do not have its act together just like driver licences a punitive approach risks lumping the innocent with those that had no intention of following the rules,” Ngwenya adds.
WATCH: DA Head of Policy, Gwen Ngwenya, unpacks the DA’s migration policy
On Monday, several people were injured in Alexandra Township as the Dudula Movement clashed with foreign nationals in the area.
SABC News Reporter Chriselda Lewis reports that shops were closed as tensions heighten:
