In the writing on migration in South Africa since the end of apartheid, the discussion shifted from a focus on internal migration prior to 1990 to an exploration of the position of African immigrants and growing levels of cross-border migration in and out of South Africa from neighbouring countries. This shift was partly a response to the rapid influx of migrants into South Africa from the former frontline states, but also to the steady growth of incidents of xenophobic and Afrophobic violence across the country.
Human Sciences Research Council (Sat,) studied this question.