Nigeria, June 29 -- The most recent Statistics South Africa census found that 3.9 per cent of South Africa's population was born outside the country. Yet, despite immigrants making up a small minority of the population, migration has been cast by protest groups and political leaders as a crisis demanding urgent crackdowns and regulatory reform.
Precedents across the continent show that such moves often produce displacement, economic disruption and diplomatic fallouts, sometimes for decades. South Africa's government must think carefully about the direction it is taking.
The rise in anti-immigrant sentiment carries both short- and medium-term risks for immigrants and citizens alike. National attention has focused on the 30 June deadline is...