Immigration's Contribution to South Africa's Development: Is it a Good Thing?

The issue of immigrants and expatriates came up as a topic in a recent election speech given by ANC president Jacob Zuma at a meeting hosted by the labour union, Solidarity. Zuma spoke to concerns about South Africa's brain drain and the need for South Africa either to attract skills back into the country or encourage immigration.

The topic is unlikely to disappear for elections to come. If ever there was a need for a good immigration policy, it is now. But controlled immigration needs to be spurred by something.

Without good industrial policy as the backbone, immigration policy can produce mixed results. It can, at best, be ad hoc -- the beneficiary of unintended consequences and perhaps sheer luck. Sound measures and clear development targets must support a country's trajectory and its attitude towards immigration.

Industrial policy and other development targets provide the framework and platform for skills demand. They also become constellations of focused activity for investment, knowledge, and technology flow. Immigration can have a number of positives.

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By Saliem Fakir, an independent writer based in Cape Town.

Read more articles by Saliem Fakir.