Foreign stayers a concern

2009-05-05 22:12

Johannesburg - Foreign stayers - or those who legally enter South Africa and do not depart - are a cause for concern, economist Mike Schussler said on Tuesday.

"The amount of foreigners appears to be growing faster than SA's own population," Schussler said in the eighth Uasa SA Employment report.

He said the total number of foreign arrivals not recorded as leaving since 1990 was now over 13 million, while total deportations since 1988 were now over 3.2 million people.

"SA's own population was growing at only 33 334 per month for 2008... and on a monthly basis foreign arrivals not recorded as leaving was 104 516 per month."

Schussler added that South Africa had deported 24 070 people a month in 2008.

"So SA might have to create even more jobs and a lot quicker too," Schussler said, adding that the situation could cause another outbreak of xenophobia.

"Of course there is a positive side to the arrival of foreigners too as they bring skills to SA," he added.

The Uasa SA Employment report, commissioned by the United Association of SA, is released once a year within a week of Workers' Day.

- SAPA