A tale of two continents: Comparing migration experiences in South Africa & Germany
Hundreds of refugees queue outside the South African Department of Home Affairs to apply for extensions of their asylum seeker permits, in Cape Town. Image: Getty Images, Rodger Bosch/AFP
South Africa and Germany have both had a long history of migration, although they have adopted different approaches to managing migrants and have experienced different challenges and levels of success.
One of the hallmarks of Germany’s migration policy is that migrants who meet the necessary eligibility criteria should be integrated into society as quickly as possible. South Africa is grappling with its migration phenomenon, juggling the need to attract migrants with much-needed skills and the need to tackle the very high levels of unemployment and poverty among its citizens.
