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The way forward for the integration of migrants into society was sought at a meeting of the Johannesburg Migration Advisory Committee.
RECENT reports of xenophobic attacks and the proposed regulation of migrants in Joburg were discussed by the Johannesburg Migration Advisory Committee (JMAC) at its second quarterly meeting.
The migration advisory committee is addressing misconceptions about migrants in the City, says executive mayor Amos Masondo (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
The meeting was held at the Braamfontein Recreation Centre on 14 September. On the agenda was the xenophobic violence after the World Cup, as well as the proposed regulation of internal and foreign migrants in Joburg.
Established by the council in February 2009, the JMAC brings together relevant role players to draft and oversee the City’s strategy for the integration of migrants into all aspects of society in Joburg.
It is chaired by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, and on it are members of the mayoral committee, heads of relevant departments and municipal entities, as well as representatives of institutions with specific expertise in the field of migration.
Present at the press briefing after the formal meeting were, Masondo; portfolio heads Roslyn Greef, for development planning and urban management, and Bafana Sithole, for community development; the acting City manager, Refik Bismilla; Pastor Thomas Kitutu; and the consul-general of Mozambique, Nunes da Silva.
“You will recall that prior to the World Cup, there were a number of reports that envisaged major increases in xenophobic incidents after the World Cup,” Masondo said.
“We also launched a pro-active series of community dialogues with communities. At these dialogues we addressed widely held perceptions and erroneous claims that migrants are crowding out local communities or taking away economic opportunities.”
Some of the key milestones of the committee to date are:
- The establishment of a Migrants' Helpdesk to help deal with some of the issues affecting foreign nationals;
- The City has also adopted the Anti-Xenophobia and Towards a Common Citizenship Programme, which forms part of long-term strategic interventions aimed at dealing with the social attitudes to xenophobia and the effects of human trafficking, and increasing tolerance of migrants; and
- Interaction with foreign nationals and their organisations.
Kitutu, a refugee from Democratic Republic of Congo who has been living in South Africa for 15 years, said: “Foreign migration is all about mobility. You have a sending country and a receiving country … I’m happy to acknowledge that social cohesion and integration of foreign nationals is definitely going well in the city of Joburg.”
Sithole explained that the initiative was “all about information gathering so we as the City can plan how to utilise our resources to the betterment of the city’s inhabitants”.
Along with various stakeholders, Johannesburg has developed regulations informed by the following objectives:
- To put in place a data collection system that will enable the City to collect accurate statistics on migrants moving in and out of the municipality for effective development purposes;
- To establish measures aimed at minimising the development and provision of unsafe living quarters to migrants; and,
- To facilitate the integration of migrants into local communities and access to services like health, electricity and water, transitional shelter, banking and education to give effect to their basic human rights.
The City also intends to introduce a system for the registration of properties or facilities where migrants are being housed. These measures will be introduced in a consultative manner to ensure that they do not raise fears or concerns of potential victimisation.
Masondo concluded: “The City of Joburg will continue to be informed by an understanding that local government has a responsibility to ensure that all those who live within its jurisdiction and abide by the laws of South Africa are helped to build a decent quality of life. Migrant communities also make a contribution to Joburg’s rich culture of diversity.”
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