South Africa’s policy on migrants is inadequate and at odds with the Freedom Charter When the Freedom Charter was adopted in 1955, it was a declaration for a free and peaceful society. The charter proclaimed, ‘South Africa belongs to all who live in it’ and was rooted in the spirit of fostering cooperation, peace and a respect for equal and basic human rights for all people living in the country. But is there a place for the respect of African migrants’ human rights, 27 years into independence? The migration policy framework is influenced by three factors. First, the country inherited a reclusive policy framework from the apartheid era that did not accommodate migrants. According to Jonathan Crush, of the Migration Policy Institute, during apartheid, Africans who came to South Africa were not considered immigrants but rather temporary contract workers. The concept of immigrants was formally acknowledged in 1991 and migrants were only recognised formally in 1993, which opened up a way for them to be integrated in the country.