South Africa' s political economy and social life has its foundations intrinsically linked with both historical and more contemporary migration. During most part of the 19th and 20th centuries and apartheid rule, labour migration from neighbouring Southern African countries to a large extent normalised the co-existence of Black Africans and citizens of other African countries in South Africa. South African citizens who were in exile lived with other Africans in the host countries in the continent and abroad. With the advent of democratic rule, the profiles of immigrants in urban areas have changed significantly due to increased urban migration to seek work, international migrants who seek jobs and business opportunities, and asylum seekers and refugees who constitute involuntary immigrants. As a result, the Gauteng province in particular, experienced rapid population growth in the first two decades of the 21st century.