South Africa cannot build enough fences or deport enough immigrants to overcome the consequences of instability in neighbouring countries.

South Africa has spent more than two decades tightening immigration laws, strengthening border security and increasing deportations in an effort to curb illegal immigration. Yet irregular migration remains a persistent challenge despite successive legal reforms, the establishment of the Border Management Authority and the recently revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.

The country’s experience shows that enforcement alone cannot resolve an issue rooted in regional governance failures, economic disparities and instability beyond its borders.

Recognising these challenges, enhanced cooperation with other African countries was among the five priorities President Cyril Ramaphosa recently outlined to strengthen migration management. The other four were: enforcing immigration and labour laws, preventing irregular border crossings, tackling corruption in the immigration system and reforming immigration laws and policies.

Acknowledging the limitations of domestic enforcement is important, but translating that into practice will require South Africa to actively address the drivers of migration across the region.

Migration is rarely the result of a single factor. Rather, it reflects a combination of political instability, economic hardship, conflict, unemployment and environmental pressures that shape individuals’ decisions to leave their home countries.

The underlying drivers should be distinguished from the factors that facilitate or constrain migration, such as border controls, migration costs or diasporic networks, which influence how people move rather than why they decide to leave. As one of Africa’s most industrialised and diversified economies, South Africa attracts migrants seeking safety and better livelihood opportunities. 

The case of Zimbabwe shows why enforcement-led approaches are unlikely to produce lasting results. Decades of economic decline, currency instability, political uncertainty and deteriorating public services have forced millions of Zimbabweans to seek opportunities elsewhere, with South Africa the primary destination. Similar governance and economic challenges drive outward migration from several other countries across Southern Africa and the continent.

The composition of South Africa’s immigrant population reflects the interconnected nature of Southern Africa’s economies and governance systems. Those linkages mean that migration patterns should be seen as indicative of broader regional development dynamics rather than isolated national events.

Most immigrants in South Africa originate from neighbouring Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho – countries that have faced prolonged economic and governance difficulties. This reinforces the need for coordinated, rather than purely domestic, policy responses. 

Behind these structural drivers are individuals forced to make difficult choices for themselves and their families. As long as economic collapse and governance failures persist in countries of origin, deportations and tighter border controls alone cannot provide a lasting solution; rather, they become more costly. 

Governments can find themselves repeatedly investing in managing the consequences of migration rather than reducing the conditions that generate it. Public spending shifts towards enforcement and asylum systems instead of investments that support orderly mobility, labour market integration and long-term partnerships with countries of origin that can reduce migration pressures over time. 

South Africa needs a regional migration strategy that links domestic migration management with regional development policy, economic diplomacy and engagement on governance issues in migrants’ countries of origin. Such an approach would combine border management with upstream interventions that reduce long-term migration pressures. This requires closer coordination between migration authorities and departments responsible for foreign policy and economic development.

South Africa’s migration challenge highlights the need for the African Union and Southern African Development Community to play a more effective role in strengthening economic cooperation, good governance and conflict prevention across the region.

More effective regional institutions can help address many of the political and governance conditions driving migration pressures. Creating sustainable livelihoods in countries of origin is also essential. That requires coordinated investment in regional infrastructure, cross-border trade, industrial development and value chains that create jobs and expand productive employment across Southern Africa.

However, economic cooperation alone will not be sufficient. It must be complemented by stronger regional accountability and a more consistent commitment to democratic governance.

South Africa’s regional diplomacy has at times prioritised political solidarity over robust engagement with neighbouring states on their governance challenges. Addressing this gap would serve both the country’s national interests and the region’s stability and prosperity.

Ultimately, the question is: how can Southern Africa become a region in which fewer people feel compelled to leave their homes in the first place?

South Africa cannot build enough fences or deport enough migrants to overcome the consequences of instability beyond its borders. A sustainable solution requires stronger domestic institutions alongside a more assertive regional strategy that promotes economic opportunity, democratic governance and peace across Southern Africa. 

Coordinating with neighbouring countries to become places where people can build secure and prosperous lives is not simply an act of regional solidarity; it is one of the most effective long-term investments South Africa can make in its own prosperity and stability.

Written by Blessing Chipanda, Senior Research Consultant, African Futures and Innovation, ISS & Marvellous Ngundu, Research Consultant, African Futures and Innovation, ISS

This article was first published in the ISS African Futures and Innovation programme blog, Africa Today