Lamola says migration is not unique to South Africa and should be addressed as a continental issue.
By Mapaballo Borotho
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola says migration is not an issue affecting only South Africa but one that affects the African continent as a whole.
He says the issue should therefore be tackled as a continental challenge.
Phemelo Motene spoke to Ronald Lamola on Kaya 959’s Point of View about migration, diplomacy and the government’s response following the African Union conference, which took place on Wednesday, 05 August 2026.
Lamola said instead of countries pointing fingers, the African Union must convene a conference to deal with the pull and push factors, the root causes of migration.
The root causes of migration in Africa include economic growth, job creation, climate change, peace and stability, security, and democracy.
Lamola says a significant proportion of migration on the continent takes place within Africa itself.
“Almost 80% of the African population remains on the African continent, and the majority go to various countries, including South Africa, Ivory Coast, Egypt, and many other countries. There’s a need to take into account these new developments and the issues that relate to the growing population so that we speak about how to grow economies where people are,” he added.
Towards the end of July, Lamola held bilateral discussions with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu about the alleged xenophobic attacks reportedly taking place in South Africa and targeting foreign nationals.
This came as some African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, condemned the alleged attacks and organised for some of their citizens to return home.
Speaking to Phemelo on Wednesday evening, Lamola emphasised that the South African government also condemns violence targeting foreign nationals.
“Firstly, we also condemn the violence. The South African government does not condone any form of violence. We have also had bilateral engagements with Ghana regarding this matter, and it was a very robust engagement where we agreed that this matter should not affect the strong relationship between the two countries.
However, we reject the manner in which Ghana raised this matter at the AU. It was raised as xenophobia in South Africa instead of dealing with migration, which we believe should be addressed comprehensively.
If we deal with it only through the lens of xenophobia, we are dealing with the symptoms instead of resolving the matter,” he said.
The Minister emphasised that migration is not a uniquely South African phenomenon but a global one.
He cited the 144 people who reportedly died in Libya last week while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Morocco-Ceuta migration crisis.
“There are many migration challenges across the continent, so the discussion cannot just be about South Africa. It needs to deal with issues of economic integration and economic growth because people move because of the economy,” he said.
Lamola added that migration should not be driven solely by economic necessity and that people should also be able to move freely for reasons such as tourism.
Listen to the podcast for the full conversation.
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