The reported plan mooted by government to make it easier for SADC residents to enter South Africa is a recipe for further disaster. This ‘come-one-come-all' approach is likely to dramatically increase the number of people entering our borders and exacerbate existing tensions.

There are few, if any, countries in the world that have an open door policy of this kind. This is for the simple reason that it would place an unbearable burden on the resources of even the richest of countries. South Africa , while relatively prosperous in relation to its neighbours, is a developing country with a serious shortage of capital and skills required for sustainable development.

The recent wave of xenophobic attacks is a direct result of government's failure to properly control immigration into South Africa . The Minister of Home Affairs must take responsibility for this and implement a plan to increase the state's capacity to deal with immigration.

At a time like this government should be considering ways to strengthen immigration control, not weaken it. It should be looking at ways to improve its capacity to process refugee applications and applications for visas from people that can play an active role in building our economy.

We must be alive to the potential of foreign migrants to contribute to our country and actively encourage people with scarce skills to move to South Africa . We must also be sympathetic to people with genuine claims for refugee status, many of whom are fleeing brutal political suppression, and put in place policies that allow for their smooth integration into South African society.

What we must not do is implement an open door policy that allows for unchecked migration into our country without taking into account its impact on South Africa .

This plan is the clearest indication yet that government is floundering. Instead of taking proactive steps to deal with the tide of illegal immigration, it is abdicating responsibility.

Government must look honestly at the causes of xenophobic violence and take decisive action to deal with it. Simply making all SADC migrants legal will not cause the resentment against immigrants to disappear.

Statement issued by the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Helen Zille, May 27 2008