The ANC is quietly moving on three fronts to take control of South Africa’s immigration debate, with Luthuli House insiders saying the party is engaging anti-illegal immigration voices at home.
It is also reassuring African governments abroad and drafting a policy paper to stop public anger from being hijacked by “dark forces”.
Sources close to recent engagements said the ANC’s international relations subcommittee has held intense discussions on undocumented migration, community frustration and the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa.
Insiders said the subcommittee agreed that the ANC should continue to support African integration, including freer movement and anAfrican passport but members warned that weak systems in parts of Africa made that goal difficult to achieve.
“The ANC still believes in African integration and it still believes Africans should not be trapped forever by colonial borders,” a source said.
“But the discussion was also honest. You cannot speak about an African passport when many countries have weak population registers, weak civil registration systems and poor data on their own citizens.”
The source said undocumented migration was discussed as a continental problem and not only as a South African border-control issue. “If states do not properly document their own people, then the movement of people becomes difficult to manage.
“Free movement cannot just be a slogan. It needs systems, records and state capacity.”
The discussions also dealt with tension inside South Africa, where unemployment, crime, pressure on public services and competition in the informal economy have fuelled calls for stronger action against undocumented migrants.
Sources said national executive committee members cautioned that the concerns should not automatically be dismissed as xenophobia but warned that violence, intimidation and vigilantism could not be tolerated.
“One of the strongest points made was that South Africans are allowed to raise concerns about jobs, crime and pressure on services,” said another ANC insider. “But those concerns cannot be used to justify violence.
“The real danger is that legitimate grievances can be hijacked by dark forces. Once that happens, communities burn, foreign nationals are attacked and the country is destabilised,” the insider said.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane reportedly met some leaders of March and March, who have been campaigning against illegal immigrants. Sources said the alleged meeting formed part of the ANC’s efforts to hear the concerns driving the movement and prevent the debate from spilling into violence.
However, a person said to have been part of that meeting, whose name is known to Sunday World, denied that such interactions had taken place.
“That information is ridiculous and your highly placed authority is so misinformed,” the person said.
A source said the ANC was trying to open political channels with different voices in the debate but the party also wanted to make clear that nobody should take the law into their own hands.
On the diplomatic front, the subcommittee met High Commissioner of Mozambique to South Africa Maria Gustava on Wednesday.
A source close to the talks said the Mozambican delegation raised concerns about the safety of Mozambican nationals in South Africa, amid rising tension linked to undocumented migration.
“The Mozambican side wanted reassurance that their nationals will be protected,” said the source. “They were speaking as a government that is worried about its people on the ground.”
Sources said the subcommittee also discussed the responsibility of African governments, with members arguing that mass migration flows were often caused by economic collapse, unemployment, weak governance and political instability in countries of origin.
“There was a blunt discussion that migration is often a symptom of failure at home,” an insider said. “People do not leave their countries in large numbers for no reason.”
The ANC is understood to be working on a formal migration and African integration policy paper, which could go before its national conference in December next year.
The document is expected to balance the party’s Pan-African tradition with domestic pressure for stronger immigration management, better documentation and firmer enforcement against undocumented migration.
- The ANC is actively engaging anti-illegal immigration voices domestically, reassuring African governments, and drafting a migration policy paper to address public anger and prevent violence.
- The party supports African integration and freer movement but acknowledges challenges due to weak population registration systems in many African countries.
- ANC members emphasized that undocumented migration is a continental issue linked to poor governance and economic instability in countries of origin.
- The ANC recognizes South Africans' legitimate concerns about jobs and crime related to undocumented migrants but condemns violence, intimidation, and vigilantism.
- Diplomatic discussions include reassurance to countries like Mozambique about the safety of their nationals, with a formal migration and African integration policy expected by December 2025 balancing Pan-African ideals and domestic immigration enforcement.
