“This fight is for all of us” – Movement Building for (Migrant) Rights in South Africa – Culmination Research Report

South Africa’s migrant rights sector is navigating a period of intense pressure and political volatility. Rising inequality, austerity, and deteriorating public services intersect with securitised migration reforms and xenophobic populism, creating a hostile environment for migrants and those who support them. While constitutional guarantees remain strong on paper, bureaucratic barriers, vigilante mobilisation, and exclusionary policy shifts have weakened access to rights in practice and heightened the precarity of migrants and refugees. At the same
time, many working class South African citizens experience similar hardships due to systemic failures. Their anger and frustration, shaped by declining services and deepening inequality, are often channelled into resentment towards migrants and the notion of “migrant rights”. This is further fuelled by political scapegoating and xenophobic populism. Against this background, civil society and allied organisations continue to challenge xenophobic narratives and defend the constitutional promise of equality for all.

This report is a culmination of a year-long Porticus-supported research project led by the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) to inform movement building strategies for migrant rights in South Africa. Drawing on policy analysis, organisational mapping, key informant interviews, and participatory workshops (2024–2025), the study examines how migrant groups, civil society organisations, and human rights advocates are responding to shrinking civic space, funding contraction, and rising hostility – and where opportunities for long-term organising lie. Platforms convened through ACMS and the Porticus-supported MOVE Programme have helped build shared analysis, identify emergent issues, and seed collaborative advocacy.

Read the report here.