The third wave: mixed migration from Zimbabwe to South Africa

Abstract

Migration from Zimbabwe has recently been described as an archetypal form of “mixed migration” in which refugees and migrants are indistinguishable from one another. This paper argues that such a state-centred understanding of mixed migration oversimplifies a far more complex reality and fails to adequately account for the changing nature of Zimbabwean out-migration. Based on data from three separate Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP) surveys undertaken in 1997, 2005 and 2010 at key moments of transition, the paper shows how the form and character of mixed migration from the country has changed over time. The country’s emigration experience since 1990 is divided into three periods or “waves”. The third wave (roughly from 2005 onwards) has seen a major shift away from circular, temporary migration of individual working-age adults towards greater permanence and more family and child migration to South Africa. Zimbabwean migrants no longer see South Africa as a place of temporary economic opportunity for survival but rather as a place to stay and build a future for themselves and their families.

La migration en provenance du Zimbabwe a récemment été décrite comme un archétype de la «omigration mixteo» dans le cadre de laquelle les réfugiés et les migrants sont impossibles à distinguer. Cet article soutient que cette interprétation centrée sur l’État de la migration mixte simplifie excessivement une réalité beaucoup plus complexe et ne tient pas compte de la nature en mutation de l’émigration du Zimbabwe. Sur la base de données provenant de trois enquêtes séparées menées par le Southern African Migration Programme (SAMP) en 1997, 2005 et 2010, à des moments clés de la transition, cet article montre comment la forme et le caractère de la migration mixte en provenance du pays a évolué au fil du temps. L’expérience de l’émigration du pays depuis 1990 se divise en trois périodes — ou «ovagueso». Durant la troisième vague (à partir de 2005 environ) on a assisté à un abandon marqué de la migration circulaire temporaire d’adultes en âge de travailler vers une permanence accrue et la hausse de la migration de familles et d’enfants vers l’Afrique du Sud. Les migrants zimbabwéens voient de moins en moins l’Afrique du Sud comme un lieu d’opportunités économiques temporaires pour survivre, et plutôt comme un endroit où s’installer et bâtir un avenir pour eux-mêmes et leur famille.

Keywords::

• Zimbabwe
• South Africa
• mixed migration
• remittances
• refugees

Acknowledgements

The surveys drawn upon in this paper were variously funded by CIDA, DFID, OSISA and IDRC. We would also like to thank the following for their assistance: Daniel Tevera, Wade Pendleton, Bronwen Dachs and Christa Schier.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jonathan Crush

Jonathan Crush (PhD, Queen's University) is a Professor and CIGI Chair in Global Migration and Development at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo in Canada and Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town.

Abel Chikanda

Abel Chikanda (PhD, University of Western Ontario) is an Assistant Professor of Geography and African & African American Studies at the University of Kansas. His research interests include migration and development, food security and the informal economy in Southern Africa.

Godfrey Tawodzera

Godfrey Tawodzera (PhD, University of Cape Town) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. His research interests include migration, food security and livelihoods.