Immigration, xenophobia and developmental regionalism in Southern Africa

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the interface between immigration, xenophobia and developmental regionalism in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, which consists of 15 Member States, namely Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It also focuses on a desktop study, aims to contribute to the literature on immigration, xenophobia and regional integration in Southern Africa. The chapter examines the SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Free Movement of Persons as a legal framework to promote migration and regional integration in Southern Africa. It discusses the discourses on migration and xenophobia in South Africa. Regional integration and developmental regionalism are the key concepts of the study alongside migration and xenophobia, which have been already defined. Regional integration is present in virtually all the discourses of African politicians and policy makers.