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South Africa tightens measures against illegal migration
In an address to the nation on Sunday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced comprehensive measures to combat illegal migration. The plan, which was already approved by the cabinet last week, comprises five key areas: stricter enforcement of immigration and labour laws, improved border security, tackling corruption within the immigration system, reforms to migration legislation, and closer cooperation with other countries.
According to Ramaphosa, the Department of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority (BMA), the police and other authorities have already stepped up efforts to identify and deport people without valid residence permits – and these measures are set to be further expanded in the future. Employers who employ people without valid residence documents will face imprisonment rather than merely fines in future. Furthermore, deportations are to be accelerated through the establishment of special courts, and border security is to be strengthened through additional technology, infrastructure and personnel. The government also intends to take more decisive action against corruption in the immigration system, particularly against document trafficking and abuse of office within government agencies. Plans also include a biometric population register to introduce digital proof of identity, as well as the abolition of the still widely used paper-based identity card, which is susceptible to forgery. At the same time, Ramaphosa emphasised in his speech that in South Africa there is “no place for xenophobia, racism, sexism, Afrophobia or other forms of intolerance”. He warned against vigilante justice and made it clear that no one on the street should be allowed to check the residency status of others on their own initiative. He also stressed that illegal immigration is not the cause of all the country’s economic problems.
Reactions to the package of measures were mixed. Whilst Geordin Hill-Lewis of the coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance, welcomed the plan and called for further economic reforms, the opposition parties ActionSA, the African Transformation Movement and the Economic Freedom Fighters criticised the proposals as inadequate, groups critical of migration, such as March and March, as “unworkable”. Experts also expressed doubts as to whether South Africa’s more than 4,400-kilometre-long land border could be effectively controlled. Migration researchers also accuse Ramaphosa of exploiting the issue of migration for political gain, thereby diverting attention from his government’s failures.
The crackdown comes against the backdrop of anti-immigration protests that have swept through several South African cities since the end of April. According to experts, these protests are fuelled primarily by frustration over high unemployment, poverty and weak economic growth. Although economic growth picked up slightly in 2025 and 2026, the social situation remains tense. The unemployment rate averaged 32.4% in 2025, with more than eight million people out of work. Many demonstrators blame irregular migrants for the country’s economic problems and high level of crime. However, according to a recent study by the Wits University-based Migrating for Work Research Consortium, foreigners make up only around 4% of the population and often take on jobs that South Africans avoid, or set up their own businesses. Whilst the demonstrations were largely peaceful at first, they have escalated significantly in recent weeks. At least five Mozambican nationals have been killed in riots this month.
The situation has now also sparked international tensions. Several African countries have begun evacuating their citizens from South Africa. Ghana says it has already brought back more than 1,000 people, and Mozambique over 700. Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nigeria have also organised repatriation operations. The Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated that retaliatory measures against South Africa were being considered, while Ghana is currently looking into bringing a case against South Africa before international courts.
Eritrea and Egypt are strengthening their cooperation
On Monday, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki travelled to the Egyptian capital, where he was received by his counterpart, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The meetings focused on strengthening bilateral relations, issues of economic cooperation, and regional developments in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. Particular emphasis was placed on the issue of security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The discussions built on the maritime cooperation agreement concluded between Cairo and Asmara in May. According to both governments, the agreement provides for the expansion of logistical links, the development of port and shipping infrastructure, and the strengthening of trade and investment along the strategically important Red Sea routes. At the same time, Egypt and Eritrea emphasise in the agreement that issues of security and administration in the Red Sea should be regulated exclusively by the littoral states – a position that was reaffirmed once again during Monday’s meeting between the two heads of state.
The Eritrean president’s recent visit to Cairo is the latest in a series of high-level meetings between Egyptian and Eritrean government representatives over the past few months. This is against the backdrop of escalating regional tensions in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region. Under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia has increasingly reaffirmed its claim to sovereign access to the sea – a demand which, according to Addis Ababa, is an economic necessity for the world’s most populous landlocked country. Whilst Abiy publicly advocates for negotiations and a peaceful solution, his repeated assertions that Ethiopia cannot remain without sea access in the long term have fuelled discussions regarding possible territorial or military ambitions in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea, in particular, fears that Ethiopia’s maritime aspirations could have implications for its own territorial integrity. Added to this are ongoing tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) (Press Review, CW37/2025) and the competition for influence in the region.
Some observers view the growing strategic rapprochement between Cairo and Asmara as part of a broader Egyptian strategy aimed at countering Ethiopia’s regional leadership ambitions. According to experts, following the failure of bilateral efforts, Cairo is increasingly relying on a network of regional partnerships. In this context, Egypt is seen as leveraging Eritrea’s geographical position, Sudan’s strategic importance, and existing political tensions within Ethiopia to increase pressure on Addis Ababa. In turn, in Addis Ababa these developments are widely perceived as a provocation and as an attempt at an “encirclement strategy”.
In Ethiopia itself, following the elections on 1 June (Press Review, CW23/2026), a clear victory for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party is emerging. According to preliminary figures released by the National Election Board on Tuesday, the ruling party won 352 of the 353 parliamentary seats confirmed so far; only one seat went to the opposition party NaMA in the Amhara region.
In other news
On Saturday, the Africa on the Map{Ping} Festival came to a close in Bujumbura, Burundi’s former capital. Over six days, the festival brought together artists, graphic designers, digital creatives and an international audience to celebrate the art of video mapping – an audiovisual technique that transforms building facades, objects and spaces into dynamic projection surfaces. In doing so, the festival offered new perspectives on Bujumbura, its architecture and its stories. Light projections cast the facades of the historic Old East building and Bujumbura’s Greek Orthodox Church in a new light, while immersive visual installations illuminated the performance hall of the French Institute of Burundi (IFB). One of the festival’s highlights was the mapping dance performance « Mango Seed Core », which combined choreography, digital imagery and text. The programme also featured panel discussions on creativity, innovation and digital art. Organised by the artist collectives Lumartis and La symphonie du souffle, the festival is the first event of its kind on the African continent.
Event recommendation
The African Book Tour reading series will launch in Berlin on 18 June 2026. Under the motto “5 Countries. 5 Voices. 5 Stories.”, the book club Readers Gonna Read will spotlight the five major regions of the African continent – North, East, West, Central and Southern Africa – from June to October. Five authors of African origin will present their works at various libraries across Berlin, offering insights into the storytelling traditions, contemporary voices and literary classics of their respective regions. The series opens on 18 June at the Hansabibliothek in Berlin-Mitte with a reading by the Sudanese-American author Fatin Abbas from her novel « Ghost Season ». Further information on the programme and venues can be found here. All events are free of charge and fully accessible.