Regional Organisations and the Control of Migration in the SADC Region during COVID-19

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, all states and organisations developed more interest in the control of migration across borders due to its health and economic implication. The focus of this article is on the role of regional organisations in this new approach. It evaluates how this operated among member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The study adopted the historical methodological approach and relied largely on migration records and data of the regional organisations involved. The study found that these regional organisations have significantly helped to stabilise the system by creating a platform that enables them resolve their key differences in focus and policy framework. This in turn creates the required structure for the introduction of some checks and balances in the control system directly employed to regulate the activities of member states for effective management of the COVID-19 crisis. Based on its findings, the article recommended that these organisations still need to fine-tune and improve progressively upon the methods employed until they become liberal enough to accommodate a structure where a check on the demands of migrants goes side-by-side with a check on the migration control policies of regional organisations and their respective member states.