1384 Volume 46 number 4 | December 2011 IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE POLICIES: UNPACKING POLICY DILEMMAS IN SOUTH AFRICA R. Mukonza Department of Public Management Tshwane University of Technology ABSTRACT M igration as a practice is as old as the human race. It has increased in recent times as globalisation has made it possible for people to gain knowledge of opportunities existing in lands beyond their borders. South Africa has been a destination point for many nationalities from within the African continent as well as those from as far aield as China, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This is mainly due to the pull factors such as peace and political stability, coupled with economic pros- perity that South Africa has enjoyed over the years. Equally important are the push factors such as war, famine, political and economic instability that exist in source countries. The article examines how the state attempts to balance the demands of the need to maintain state security while at the same time satisfying the demands of integrating with other states both in Africa and the world. What are the contradic- tions that are inherent in the pursuit of the two agendas? The article argues that the South African immigration policy regime should meet regional and international set standards while at the same time addressing the local needs. Such a balance would advance South Africa’s national interests in a holistic manner. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND S ince the advent of democracy, South Africa has faced the challenge of an increase in immigrants. This is largely because of the socio-economic and politi- cal stability the country enjoys, and the unstable conditions that exist in source countries. There is general consensus among researchers in the migration ield that data on migration into and within South Africa is poorly collected (Forced Migration Studies Programme (FMSP), 2010:1; Wa Kabwe-Segatti & Landau, 2008:5). However, the FMSP, based on its extrapolation from census data, estimates the total foreign population to be between 1.5 and 2 million or 3-4% of the South African popula- tion (FMSP Report, 2010:3).This foreign population can be dismantled into its com- ponents, namely, economic migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants. To deal with the challenges, the South African government crafted the Immigration Act, 2002 (Act 13 of 2002) and the Refugee Act, 1998 (Act 130 of 1998).