Trade union federation Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has rejected growing anti-undocumented migrant narratives in South Africa, arguing that migration is a symptom of deeper economic failures across the continent and that migrant workers are being wrongly blamed for unemployment, poverty and inequality.
In its latest political report, the federation says migration pressures are being driven by debt, austerity, instability and high unemployment across many African countries, forcing workers to seek opportunities outside their home states.
Cosatu argues that this should be understood as an economic crisis rather than a “migration crisis”.
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The federation warned that right-wing and anti-immigrant campaigns are exploiting public frustrations over the country’s weak economic growth and persistently high unemployment.
Anti-migrant campaigns under fire
According to Cosatu, such campaigns divert attention away from what it describes as the real causes of the country’s economic difficulties, including deindustrialisation, insufficient investment, austerity policies and what it calls a failure to transform the country’s economic structure.
Cosatu was particularly critical of the “abahambe” narrative, which advocates the removal of undocumented migrants.
The federation says the approach scapegoats foreign nationals while failing to hold employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers at below-minimum wages and in conditions that facilitate labour exploitation.
“The narrative behind ‘abahambe’ also scapegoats immigrants but fails to confront employers and businesses that intentionally employ undocumented workers because of their vulnerable conditions,” the report states.
Focus on labour market structure
From a labour market perspective, Cosatu contends that deportations alone would not solve South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
Instead, the federation argues that unemployment stems primarily from the country’s economic model and long-term decline in productive sectors rather than competition from migrant workers.
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The federation also called for a balanced migration policy that combines enforcement of immigration laws with the protection of human rights and dignity.
While supporting stronger border management and enforcement at ports of entry, Cosatu maintains that any action against undocumented migrants must respect constitutional principles and human rights standards.
Continental drivers of migration
At a continental level, Cosatu linked migration flows to broader economic challenges facing Africa. The federation argued that debt burdens, International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed austerity measures, political instability and weak job creation have generated a large pool of unemployed workers, many of whom seek work in South Africa and elsewhere.
For business and policymakers, Cosatu’s intervention suggests that the federation sees migration less as a border-security issue and more as a labour market and development challenge.
Its position is that sustainable solutions lie in industrialisation, job creation, stronger labour protections and regional economic development, rather than in targeting migrant workers.
According to the federation, “working-class solidarity, not border policing, is the only durable answer” to migration pressures created by economic conditions across the continent.
- The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) rejects anti-undocumented migrant narratives, attributing migration to deeper economic failures in Africa such as debt, austerity, instability, and high unemployment.
- Cosatu argues that anti-migrant campaigns distract from issues like deindustrialisation, insufficient investment, austerity policies, and failure to transform South Africa's economic structure.
- The federation criticizes the "abahambe" narrative for scapegoating immigrants while ignoring employers who exploit undocumented workers with low wages and poor conditions.
- Cosatu states that deportations alone will not address unemployment, as the crisis stems from South Africa's economic model and decline in productive sectors, not competition from migrants.
- The federation calls for a balanced migration policy upholding human rights, supporting stronger border enforcement, and advocating industrialisation, job creation, and regional economic development as solutions.
