Browsing by Subject "migrant"

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    Neither Here nor There: Exploring the Transnational Identity of West African Migrants living in South Africa
    (2021) Opara, Ijeoma; Akokpari, John
    Transnationalism as a theory has explained the causal nature of migration over time, against the backdrop of an ever-changing globalised world. The movement of people and their motivating factors have been deeply researched within migration literature and other surrounding fields. However, the intricacies of transnationalism among migrants have remained fairly unexplored, with little being written specifically on the topic of intersecting identities and othering experienced by transnational migrants. In South Africa, xenophobia has been a strong issue connected to migrants, whereby those from other African countries face discrimination based on their nationality, ethnicity, and economic disparities. However, there is a dearth in understanding how othering as a concept manifests beyond the overt forms of violence, and how it links to systemic forms of exclusion. The term ‘West-a-phobia' explores a more specific phenomenon of xenophobia, whereby West African migrants living in South Africa face discrimination based on specific national, cultural, and economic characteristics of their identity. By using this concept, and by providing the historical context of othering, this dissertation explores transnational identities through unpacking concepts such as ‘othering', ‘transnationalism', ‘identity', and critiquing the nationstate. A qualitative approach was implemented by interviewing six respondents residing in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, South Africa. Respondents' contributions were collected via online response sheets and face-to-face interviews from August to November 2019. This was followed by critical analysis and concluded with evidence-based nuances surrounding the intersecting tenets of the aforementioned concepts. The key findings from this study conclude that West African migrants that have lived in South Africa over a certain period of time experience a lack of cohesion and integration into society. This takes place through processes of othering through physical differentiation and cultural characteristics. Furthermore, West African migrants maintain a connection to their country of origin through engaging in what Crush and MacDonald (2000) characterises as transnational activities. Finally, this study concludes that there are stratified layers to the conceptualisation of citizenship, and that the qualitative research done corroborates with certain aspects of transnationalism theory.
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    Open Access
    The roadside work-seeker phenomenon in the South African informal construction sector
    (2016) Hammond, Sylvia; Bowen, Paul; Cattell, Keith
    A key objective of post-apartheid South Africa has been the integration of previously disadvantaged persons into the economy. Human resource development strategies of increased access to education and skills development are supported by a package of enabling legislation. The construction sector via implementation of critical infrastructure and public works offered potential for employment and training of unskilled and semi-skilled labour. This research evaluates the extent to which this potential been realised, and identifies sustainable best-practice and impediments to progress. A mixed methods research methodology utilises: a textual analysis of strategy, skills development policy and legislation; statistical indicators of national and construction sector employment; semi-structured personal and telephonic interviews with workers and junior contractors; and online discussion with skills development practitioners. The findings confirm a comprehensive strategy for integrated and articulated post-school education and training, and extensive development of vocational training institutions. However, the qualification structure including knowledge, applied skills, and formal work experience does not meet the requirements of the sub-contractor junior construction industry players. The compilation of skills into formal qualifications follows occupational structures that don’t parallel real world requirements. There has been indifferent implementation of the recognition of prior learning, and extensive use of casualised labour and short term employment contracts impede implementation of skills development. The practical implications are that both national and immigrant workers continue to be excluded from acquisition of formal qualifications and career development, limiting the scope of their employment potential to temporary, short-term, informal contracts. The multi-disciplinary analysis contextualises these human resource management practices within the policy and legislative framework, and the contested economic model. The conclusion offers practical suggestions to improve the economic status of labour: recognising discrete skills independent of full qualifications, and adoption of bonus payments such as the fishing sector “agsterskot”.