The period 1890 - 1920 was characterized by the increasing domination of white over black in southern Africa and the associated expansion of a regional capitalist economy. Many largely self-sufficient African societies became heavily dependent on migrant wage labour and purchased food. These changes, together with the alienation of land for white settlement, transformed rural society, greatly accelerating the impoverishment of most Africans.
AbstractThe issue of food security is strikingly absent from current debates about the relationship between migration and development. The current international food security agenda displays a similar disregard for migration. There thus appears to be a massive disconnect between these two global development agendas. The reasons are hard to understand since the connections between migration and food security seem obvious. This article addresses possible reasons for the disconnect and then presents and discusses the implications for linking migration and food security of a recent survey in 11 African cities. The results show a consistent pattern of difference between urban migrant and non‐migrant households in relation to levels of food insecurity, sources of income, food procurement strategies, and participation in urban agriculture. This article therefore seeks to initiate a conversation between the separate worlds of migration and development on the one side, and food security on the other.
South Africa prides itself on having one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. The Bill of Rights guarantees a host of basic political, cultural and socio‐economic rights to all who are resident in the country. Yet there have been persistent reports that citizen intolerance of non‐citizens, refugees and migrants has escalated dramatically since 1994.This article documents this process through presentation of results of national public opinion surveyed by the Southern African Migration Project (SAMP).The surveys show that intolerance is extremely pervasive and growing in intensity and seriousness. Abuse of migrants and refugees has intensified and there is little support for the idea of migrant rights. Only one group of South Africans, a small minority with regular personal contact with non‐citizens, is significantly more tolerant.These findings do not augur well for migrant and refugee rights in this newly democratic country, or early acceptance of the UN Convention on the protection of migrant workers.
South Africa's migration policy since 1994 has been described as contradictory and confused. Indeed, there are profound differences of opinion within government and civil society over the best means to deal with what is believed to be a massive and threatening increase in clandestine migration and irregular employment.Clarity of thought and policy debate has been hampered by an inflammatory discourse which fixates on the issue of numbers, and views all migrants as a problem and threat. Partly this reflects fundamental inadequacies in systems of data collection and analysis, and partly a poor understanding of the causes and character of cross‐border migration in Southern Africa.As a corrective, this article presents an overview of the causes and spatial/sectoral distribution of irregular employment in post‐apartheid South Africa, drawing on recent research. It then critically examines efforts to ascertain the dimensions of undocumented migration to South Africa, concluding that the results are fundamentally flawed by the methodologies used. The article then disaggregates irregular migration and assesses current knowledge about each subcategory.In conclusion, the article argues for a comprehensive labour market survey as the foundation for a coordinated and rational approach to the challenges of irregular migration and employment.
