“We Are Working Hand to Mouth”: Zimbabwean Teachers’ Experiences of Vulnerability in South Africa (original) (raw)
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TRAPPED IN A GARDEN OF GREENER PASTURES: THE EXPERIENCES OF ZIMBABWEAN TEACHERS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Most immigrants from African countries choose Johannesburg as a migration destination. They all perceive it to be location with many opportunities that would enable them to make a fresh start to a life outside their home country, and Zimbabweans are no exception. In South Africa, Johannesburg has a large percentage of foreigners at any given time, hence its inner city was chosen as a suitable location to investigate the extent and manner in which the experiences of migrant Zimbabwean teachers matched their expectations. Working in Zimbabwe was no longer sustainable for them. Most of them were married and had families whom they needed to support financially. After being in South Africa for a period ranging from under one year to over five years, many had achieved some form of economic improvement, having movable and immovable assets, and saving money. However, the same migrant teachers felt unsafe and unwanted in South Africa because of crime, discrimination, hostility and xenophobia. The results revealed a paradox of economic satisfaction accompanied by fear and social unhappiness in the lives of these Zimbabwean teachers in South Africa. The Zimbabwean migrant teachers have two juxta-positioned problematic situations: wanting the money, their initial reason for migrating and motivation to continue working; and feeling imprisoned, unsafe and unwanted, an incongruous reality, in South Africa. This paper examines the dynamics of these contradictions by presenting the two-pronged dilemma from both an economic and a social point of view. They want to be and not to be in South Africa at the same time – they are trapped in a contradictory existence, in a city and country to which they chose to migrate. Keywords: Zimbabwean migrant teachers, economic impacts, social impacts, crime, xenophobia, the Geography of Fear.
Migrant Zimbabwean Teachers in South Africa: Challenging and Rewarding Issues
Journal of International Migration and Integration, 2019
The research carried out regarding the experiences of migrant teachers in South Africa mainly highlights the challenges that these teachers face. This article reports on a case study that sought to document the experiences of 15 Zimbabwean teachers working in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews and analysed qualitatively using open coding. The study revealed that migrant teachers encountered several challenging issues including: a lack of job security, short and unreliable contracts, difficulties in accessing loans for those employed on short contracts, exploitation, xenophobic discrimination, lack of induction, and lack of learner discipline. Professional development, good financial rewards, social acceptance, and political freedom were some of the rewards that they enjoyed in South Africa. Understanding the experiences of migrant teachers is crucial to the promotion of their rights, reduction of the risks associated with their migration, and to the improvement of their professionalism. Further research is necessary to find ways of protecting migrant teachers against discrimination and exploitation. It is also recommended that policy is drawn up that would facilitate the compassionate termination of migrant teachers' employment contracts once the required number of South African teachers has been reached.
Zimbabwean Teachers in South Africa: their Needs and Advice to Prospective Migrant Teachers
Journal of International Migration and Integration, 2018
Migrants consider South Africa to be a country of greener pastures in a subregion blighted by political and economic instability. In South Africa's education system, Zimbabwean teachers constitute the largest group of migrant teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the social and professional needs of migrant Zimbabwean teachers and their advice to prospective migrant teachers. Fifteen migrant Zimbabwean teachers in public high schools or combined schools (private schools) took part in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The data were analysed qualitatively using open coding. The findings of the study revealed that these migrant teachers need support to overcome difficulties in classroom management, in acquiring legal documentation, and in dealing with the issues of safety and xenophobia. The findings also revealed that the teachers were in need of induction, professional development, and social and financial support. In spite of their many needs, the migrant teachers' advice to prospective migrant teachers was that they should try their luck in South Africa.
2019
Teacher migration is a phenomenon that gained international momentum more than eighteen years ago. South Africa was one of the developing countries within the Commonwealth which were greatly affected by the loss of homegrown skills in respect to teacher emigration to the United Kingdom. In the past ten years, however, South Africa has attracted teachers from neighbouring countries. Whilst there have been some studies on migrant teachers in South Africa, research on migrant teachers in primary schools is a neglected area. This paper reports on some of the findings of a qualitative teacher immigration study undertaken in Johannesburg which focussed on primary school teachers. The paper explores the economic, political, and social reasons for migrant teachers teaching in Johannesburg. The push and pull theory of the seminal scholar, Lee (1966) and Bett's (2010) insights into survival migration and chain migration provide the theoretical dimensions for this paper. Primary school teachers from both public and private schools participated in this research and data was generated through interviews and focus group discussions. Migrant teachers select Johannesburg, South Africa as a survival strategy for a range of economic, political and social reasons. Primary schools in Johannesburg have been overcoming their teacher shortages with this influx of migrant teachers, benefitting from this brain gain.
Zimbabwean teachers in South Africa: A transient greener pasture
South African Journal of Education, 2017
Zimbabwean teachers constitute the largest group of migrant teachers in South Africa (Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET), 2013). The main reason South Africa welcomes migrant teachers is to ease the country's own teacher shortage. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Zimbabwean teachers' motives for migration to South Africa and their future career plans. Fifteen migrant Zimbabwean teachers in public high or combined schools (private schools) took part in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Several sampling techniques (purposive, quota, convenient and snowball sampling) were used to select the teachers in Gauteng Province. The data was analysed qualitatively using open coding. The findings revealed that the economic and political instability in Zimbabwe (a push factor) played a much stronger role in migration decisions of the migrant teachers than did pull factors such as the close proximity of South Africa, and the existence of a migration network in South Africa. The findings of the study also revealed that some of the migrant Zimbabwean teachers migrated to reunite with their families, as they preferred not to split their immediate families between two countries. Migration networks were effective in assisting the migrants to find employment. The future plans of the majority of the teachers were ambitious. They involved improving their academic qualifications, getting employment in the tertiary education sector, and migrating to other, better paying countries. Migrant teachers are playing a crucial role while balance is being sought between demand and supply of teachers in South Africa. They ought to be given fair contracts that would encourage those who want to stay on, to do so.
Zimbabwean Immigrant Teachers in KwaZulu-Natal Count the Cost of Going under the Hammer
2013
This article examines Zimbabwean immigrant teachers’ experiences and thoughts on xenophobia in South Africa. The data draws from a qualitative study undertaken in the province of Kwazulu-Natal on Zimbabwean immigrant teachers’ experiences. Worby’s construct of ‘disconnection’ was used to understand Zimbabwean immigrant teachers’ thoughts on xenophobia and feelings and behaviour upon being unwilling recipients of xenophobic practices, prejudices and attitudes. The findings indicate not only a selfimposed social disconnection by immigrant teachers but also a professional disconnection levied by the management in selected schools and by certain colleagues in Higher Education Institutions.
2019
Neo-classical and neo-Marxist theories oppose each other in terms of explaining motivation for migration and its development impact. Neo-classical theories posit that migration occurs because of economic considerations: higher incomes and economic gain. Neo-Marxist theories emphasize that migration occurs because of unequal and structural levels of development between developed and developing countries, regions or areas. In sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is relatively economically developed compared to other countries in the region and, according to neo-Marxist philosophy, exploits the labour from other poorer countries. In this case study, the focus is on migrant teachers from Zimbabwe. According to neo-Marxisttheories, migrants exist in an exploitative relationship with their host regions and/or countries. Apart from neo-classical and neo-Marxist theories, pluralist theories have evolved from these distinctive schools of thought that emphasize that migration is the result of a c...
MIGRATION THEORIES AND ZIMBABWEAN MIGRANT TEACHERS AS REFLECTED IN A SOUTH AFRICAN CASE STUDY
2012
Abstract: Neo-classical and neo-Marxist theories oppose each other in terms of explaining motivation for migration and its development impact. Neo-classical theories posit that migration occurs because of economic considerations: higher incomes and economic gain. Neo-Marxist theories emphasize that migration occurs because of unequal and structural levels of development between developed and developing countries, regions or areas. In sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is relatively economically developed compared to other countries in the region and, according to neo-Marxist philosophy, exploits the labour from other poorer countries. In this case study, the focus is on migrant teachers from Zimbabwe. According to neo-Marxist- theories, migrants exist in an exploitative relationship with their host regions and/or countries. Apart from neo-classical and neo-Marxist theories, pluralist theories have evolved from these distinctive schools of thought that emphasize that migration is the result of a conscious family decision aimed at diversifying their resource base when faced with crises and/or scarcity, asserting that migration does indeed bring about development. This paper contends that neo-classical theories do apply to the case of Zimbabwean migrant teachers because they satisfactorily explain why these teachers came to South Africa, whereas neo-Marxist theories have limited relevance. Pluralist theories, however, through their emphasis on remittances, add meaning to people’s motivations for, and the consequent impact of development related to this particular aspect of migration. Keywords: Neo-classical theories, neo-Marxist theories, pluralist theories, migration, development, Zimbabwean migrant teachers, remittances
The status of migrant teachers in South Africa: Implications for policy, research, practice
2014
Teachers, together with other skilled professionals, have become increasingly mobile in modern-day society. It has become commonplace to find South African teachers working in the United Kingdom, Canada and in the United Arab Emirates. Likewise, it is not uncommon to find teachers from Zimbabwe, India or Ghana teaching in South Africa. While initiatives have been undertaken by the South African government, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat (see Morrow and Keevy 2006, Keevy and Jansen 2010, Manik and Singh 2011), to investigate and monitor the outward migration of South African teachers, and also protect the rights of such teachers when practising in other countries, there has been a concerning lack of attention to the situation of inward migration of teachers to South Africa. While there is common consensus between government officials, teacher unions and even the public, that many migrant teachers are employed in South Africa, limited evidence exists to support this view. Also concerning is the apparent lack of awareness of the conditions of service of such migrant teachers. This study was primarily undertaken to shed light on the status of migrant teachers in South Africa, and secondly, to consider the implications for policy, research and practice in relation to the requirements that migrant teachers must meet. While the requirements are not necessarily more onerous that those applied in other countries, it was evident from the outset of the study that the coordination between the different agencies could be substantially improved to make the processes more accessible and simple to understand. It is anticipated that the release of this study will contribute directly to the development of a more systemic and coordinated approach to the appointment of migrant teachers in public schools in South Africa. The improved coordination will not only strengthen the integrity of the national education and training system in South Africa, but will also save resources across SAQA, the DHA, provincial departments of education, the DHET and SACE, and contribute to the safeguarding of the rights and conditions of service of migrant teachers within South Africa.