CAROL PATON: ANC policy on immigration perverse from top to bottom
Foreigners at the bottom end of the labour market have a lower rate of unemployment
SA has a perverse immigration policy. At the bottom end of the labour market we let everyone in, even if it is under a fence rather than through border control. At the top end, we restrict entry as much as possible so people with skills and money find it impossible to get in.
ANC immigration policy is a perplexing subject, full of unspoken prejudices, biases and political motivations. While illegal immigration has boomed, to the displeasure of many citizens, the governing party has turned a blind eye to corruption and the problem as a whole, not wanting to face the political implications of getting tough on neighbouring countries that hosted it in exile and not wanting to openly tell the public so. The state — police, home affairs officials — are left to perpetrate xenophobic abuses, of which politicians pretend they have no knowledge...
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