The discourse and dimensions of irregularity in post-apartheid South Africa

South Africa's migration policy since 1994 has been described as contradict ory and confused. Indeed, there are profound differences of opinion within government and civil society over the best means to deal with what is belie ved to be a massive and threatening increase in clandestine migration and i rregular employment. Clarity of thought and policy debate has been hampered by an inflammatory d iscourse which fixates on the issue of numbers, and views all migrants as a problem and threat. Partly this reflects fundamental. inadequacies in syst ems of data collection and analysis, and partly a poor understanding of the causes and character of cross-border migration in Southern Africa. As a corrective, this article presents an overview of the causes and spatia l/sectoral distribution of irregular employment in post-apartheid South Afr ica, drawing on recent research. It then critically examines efforts to asc ertain the dimensions of undocumented migration to South Africa, concluding that the results are fundamentally flawed by the methodologies used. The a rticle then disaggregates irregular migration and assesses current knowledg e about each subcategory. In conclusion, the article argues for a comprehensive labour market survey as the foundation for a coordinated and rational approach to the challenges of irregular migration and employment.