Briefing Paper

Linking South Africa’s Immigration Policy and Zimbabwe Diplomacy

“The political and economic crisis that has riddled Zimbabwe for over a decade has created two serious challenges for South Africa’s (SA) government. The first challenge is external: SA’s quiet diplomacy approach towards Zimbabwe’s ruling
ZANU-PF has raised important questions about SA’s position and reputation as a regional power and global actor. The second challenge is internal and can be described as an immigration and asylum crisis. This domestic crisis has deepened as the political situation within Zimbabwe has been left unresolved. Some one to three million Zimbabweans are estimated to be living in SA, most of them as undocumented migrants.”