Poor leadership, governance fuel the immigration crisis

In the hype surrounding “Mabahambe” (they must leave) in South Africa, we risk losing an important opportunity for serious intellectual and analytical engagement.

- Edith Dinong Phaswana

What is most concerning is that even some of the African voices we typically respect seem hesitant to question the deeper structural issues confronting our societies.

Today, I choose not to engage the question of the Berlin borders. Whatever their historical origins and consequences, African states have collectively chosen to recognise them and to organise their political life around them. We did not dismantle them, right?

The challenge before us is therefore not merely the legitimacy of those borders but what we have done with the political communities and institutions that have emerged within them. Decades after independence we continue to struggle to build inclusive, accountable and developmental states.

The conversation should not simply focus on who must leave South Africa but rather on why so many people feel compelled to leave their home countries in the first place. Across Africa, including South Africa, migration is often driven by persistent challenges such as unemployment, insecurity, poor governance, weak institutions, corruption and limited opportunities for young people.