‘Not Asylum Seekers’: Shivambu Makes Claim About Most Illegal Immigrants In SA

South Africa’s immigration debate just got another loud voice. Afrika Mayibuye leader Floyd Shivambu sat down with Newzroom Afrika and said most of the people he calls illegal immigrants are not asylum seekers at all. In his view, they are socio-economic migrants, people who came for jobs and a better life rather than to escape danger back home.

He went further and claimed South Africa stands alone in letting these migrants in without the right papers. According to him, that open door could be creating real economic pressure at home.

It’s a claim that hits a nerve, and it’s worth looking at the difference he is pointing to. Asylum seekers have applied for protection and are waiting for a decision. Refugees are those who have already met the legal test for protection. Economic migrants move to find work or better living conditions. Each group has different rights and different rules, and a person’s papers and story matter a lot.

Here is the catch. Shivambu gave no numbers to back up his claim that most undocumented foreigners are economic migrants. He also didn’t show that South Africa is the only country doing this. Without hard data on who is here and why they came, it’s easy for a strong opinion to become the whole story.

Still, the questions he raised are not going away. How should the country handle people with no documents? Who gets protection, who gets work, and who gets access to public services when resources are already stretched? These are everyday concerns for millions of South Africans, and they deserve answers that go beyond soundbites.

So here’s the question for you: if the numbers showed most undocumented migrants came for work, would that change how you feel about the border, or does the bigger issue for you lie somewhere else entirely? Drop your take below and tag someone who needs to hear it.

Source: https://x.com/zanewsflash/status/2112971419877310769?s=46