Migrants in Cape Town: settlement patterns

Abstract

Before 1994, most foreign migrants to the Western Cape came from the UK and Europe, but in recent decades, new streams have arrived from Zimbabwe, the DRC, Nigeria, Somalia, Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan. However, South Africa's migration policy has not kept pace with the changes. The 2017 White Paper on International Migration for South Africa asserts that the country has a 'sovereign right to determine the admission and residence conditions for foreign nationals, in line with its national interest'.