(Ir)relevant doctrines and African realities: neoliberal and Marxist influences on labour migration governance in Southern Africa

Abstract

Southern Africa has a long and complex history of migration. This article argues that overall, the mechanisms for governing migration and the practice of migration in the region ignore prevailing theoretical and ideological influences. Instead, Southern Africa operates on an age-long labour migration governance system predicated on private capital. The article qualitatively analyses scholarly literature, migration policy and legislation, and data from interviews with relevant stakeholders. Southern Africa could benefit more from favourably governing migration at the regional rather than the national level. This is consistent with the African Union’s preferred approach to integrating Africa. Also, sociocultural traits in borderland communities of neighbouring Southern African countries tend to be shared and traverse state borders.

Keywords:

• Labour migration
• regional migration governance
• neoclassical economics view
• modes of production
• SADC

Acknowledgements

This article is partly based on wider research conducted by the Migration for Work Consortium (MiWORC), comprising academic (GovInn, University of Pretoria; United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS); UNESCO Chair on Free Movement), South African Government (Department of Labour; South African Local Government Association; Statistics South Africa), and international (ILO; IOM) partners. The European Union, in the framework of the EU–South Africa Dialogue Facility (EuropeAid/132200/L/ACT/ZA), funded part of the research. The author also wishes to thank three anonymous reviewers, who provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. The opinions expressed in the article, however, belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the member groups of MiWORC, the EU or the Government of South Africa.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Emphasis added.

2 The 16 SADC member states are: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

3 FLS members included Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.

4 The founding members included Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland (now Eswatini).

5 Nshimbi and Fioramonti (2013) outline other amnesties and special bilateral migrant-recognising arrangements that some member states have concluded in the SADC.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by European Commission.

Notes on contributors

Christopher Changwe Nshimbi

Christopher Changwe Nshimbi is Director, Institute for Strategic and Political Affairs (ISPA), and Associate Professor, Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria. He researches regional integration, migration, borders, the informal economy and water governance. He also sits in on international advisory panels on migration, the water sector and social protection.