AFRIKA MAYIBUYE MOVEMENT LEADER FLOYD SHIVAMBU CLAIMS THE FIRST UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS TO ARRIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA WERE THE DUTCH SETTLERS WHO LANDED AT THE CAPE IN 1652, SPARKING FRESH DEBATE OVER THE COUNTRY’S HISTORY AND TODAY’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES
Afrika Mayibuye Movement leader Floyd Shivambu has made controversial remarks about South Africa’s history, arguing that the country’s first undocumented or illegal immigrants were not modern-day migrants but the Dutch settlers who arrived at the Cape in 1652 under the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
According to Shivambu, those early European settlers entered and occupied the land long before modern immigration laws existed. He also referred to later British arrivals after 1806, saying they formed part of the colonial expansion that changed South Africa’s political and social landscape.
His comments come as South Africa continues to debate illegal immigration, border security, and calls from some groups for tougher action against undocumented foreign nationals.
Shivambu argued that discussions about immigration should also take historical events into account, while critics say comparisons between colonial settlement and today’s immigration challenges are not directly comparable because they occurred under very different legal and historical circumstances.
His remarks have generated mixed reactions online, with some supporting his historical perspective and others disagreeing with his interpretation.
What do you think about Floyd Shivambu’s comments? Do you agree with his historical argument, or do you believe it is different from today’s immigration debate?