SOUTH AFRICA — Seeking a definitive African Union migration strategy, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has firmly rejected efforts to scapegoat South Africa for regional displacement issues. Following the 49th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council, Lamola outlined Pretoria’s vision for a holistic, evidence-based continental framework that addresses the root causes of irregular movement rather than targeting individual member states.
During a media briefing on Wednesday, Lamola confirmed that South Africa fully supports the Executive Council’s recent decision to exclude migration from the agenda of the upcoming AU mid-term review meeting. Instead of fragmented debates that isolate specific nations, Pretoria is advocating for a return to a comprehensive, pan-African dialogue.
Reviving the 2015 Johannesburg Mandate
At the heart of South Africa’s diplomatic push is a call to reactivate a resolution passed during the 25th AU Assembly, hosted in Johannesburg in 2015. That landmark assembly originally mandated a continent-wide conference designed to accelerate intra-African mobility, foster development, and build institutional capacity to manage irregular migration flows.
According to Lamola, the blueprint for solving the current crisis already exists. He urged the AU to simply “dust it off from the shelves and put it on the table for implementation,” arguing that the 2015 mandate remains the most appropriate platform to tackle the complexities of modern African mobility.
The Minister was unequivocal in his opposition to what he termed “isolation attempts,” warning that narrowing the focus strictly to South Africa or framing the issue solely around xenophobia would be counterproductive.
“What we are disagreeing with is to isolate it and make it a South Africa phenomenon,” Lamola explained. He cautioned that reducing the issue to a localized inquiry would place the country in a defensive posture akin to a “court,” ultimately resulting in a “zero-sum game” that fails to address the broader continental reality.
The Demographic Reality of African Mobility
Lamola emphasized that migration is a shared continental burden driven by necessity, noting that nearly 45% of Africans currently reside outside their nations of origin. To effectively manage this, he argued that any robust **African Union migration strategy** must confront deep-seated pull factors and root causes, including climate change, economic instability, and the state of democratic governance.
The urgency of this holistic approach is highlighted by stark demographic data cited by the Minister:
Youth Emigration: Nearly six in every 10 Africans between the ages of 18 and 25 have contemplated leaving their home countries in pursuit of better economic opportunities.
Intra-Continental Settlement: More than half of all Africans living outside their home countries choose to remain on the continent, settling in neighboring regions.
Primary Hubs: South Africa, Egypt, and Côte d’Ivoire continue to absorb the largest volumes of these intra-African migrants.
Furthermore, Lamola noted a troubling rise in anti-migrant sentiment globally and across Africa, largely fueled by economic hardship. A successful continental conference, he argued, must provide member states with a dedicated space to confront the drivers of xenophobia, discrimination, and intolerance. Pretoria also confirmed it will maintain close cooperation with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is preparing for an upcoming fact-finding visit to South Africa.
Financing Agenda 2063 and Continental Leadership
Beyond border mobility, Lamola used the briefing to update the continent on South Africa’s leadership roles within key AU structures. Pretoria currently chairs the Ministerial Follow-Up Committee for Agenda 2063 and serves as the head of the Committee of Five (C5) regarding South Sudan.
Under South Africa’s stewardship, the Agenda 2063 committee has prioritized accountability, accelerated project implementation, and the mobilization of sustainable financing. To support these goals, Lamola announced that South Africa has formally recommended a feasibility study for the creation of an Agenda 2063 Development Fund.
He stressed that any new financial mechanism must be carefully structured to complement existing African financial institutions, strictly avoid mandate duplication, and enforce rigorous governance and accountability standards.
Security Mandates: From Juba to Khartoum
Addressing regional stability, Lamola reiterated South Africa’s commitment to peace and security across the continent. In his capacity leading the C5 on South Sudan, he issued a strong appeal to the international community to back the preparations for inclusive, credible elections under the Revitalised Peace Agreement, noting that legitimate governance is the only path to lasting prosperity for the South Sudanese people.
Lamola also expressed strong support for an upcoming Extraordinary AU Summit focused on conflict prevention and resolution, scheduled for August 29–30 in Luanda, Angola. He described the gathering as a critical opportunity to operationalize the doctrine of “African solutions for African problems.”
However, the Minister reserved his most sobering remarks for the ongoing war in Sudan. Describing the escalating violence as a profound humanitarian catastrophe, Lamola stated that the crisis represents “one of the biggest moral failures in our lifetime.”
Looking toward the Luanda summit, he affirmed that South Africa intends to leverage the diplomatic platform to mobilize the continent toward a unified, structured intervention to halt the bloodshed.
