On Tuesday the South African Human Rights Commission initiated a conversation regarding the sensitive issue of foreign migrants’ access to housing and resources. The subject was calmly debated, but the message was loud and clear – exclusion and inequality must fall. By BHEKI C SIMELANE.

The South Human Rights Commission’s held a provincial indaba on access to housing to migrants in Gauteng. The indaba coincided with Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba’s continued call to deport undocumented foreign nationals in his city clean-up campaign. Since Mashaba took over as mayor he has not been shy to declare his stance on undocumented foreign migrants, and his outbursts have often annoyed some.

If anything, the SAHRC indaba sought to demonstrate that not matter how sensitive the subject is, some engagement avenues are still open.

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