Unmanageable "Illegals" - The Persistency of Zimbabwean Migration to South Africa
Authors
Dreesen, Niels ; Hansen, Mikkel Otto
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-06-30
Abstract
This master’s thesis examines how South Africa’s migration regime has evolved and how Zimbabwean migrants respond to it. Framed by the region’s long history of labor migration, the study analyzes the paradox of post-1994 promises of inclusion alongside hardened borders and intensified policing of “illegal” migration. Drawing on a historical review, analysis of immigration laws and policies, and a mapping of key actors—the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), and the UNHCR—within a migration-regime framework, the thesis explores the interplay between migration management (structure) and migrant agency. It discusses how enforcement practices—mass arrests, detention and deportation, and other extralegal measures—reflect a nationalism that often outweighs humanitarian commitments, enabled by the DHA’s significant autonomy. At the same time, the study highlights the persistence of Zimbabwean mobility and the ways migrants use social networks and informal strategies to navigate and circumvent restrictions, despite exposure to illegalization, violence, and insecurity. The analysis suggests that control and deterrence have not curbed informal migration and that, in the absence of long-term regional solutions, the dynamic relationship between enforcement and informality is likely to continue. The thesis calls for recognizing migrants’ contributions and for durable, rights-respecting policies beyond short-term containment.
Denne kandidatafhandling undersøger, hvordan Sydafrikas migrationsregime har udviklet sig, og hvordan zimbabwiske migranter reagerer på det. Med udgangspunkt i regionens lange historie med arbejdsmigration analyserer studiet paradokset mellem løfter om inklusion efter 1994 og samtidig skærpede grænser samt en intensiveret bekæmpelse af “illegale” migranter. Gennem et historisk tilbageblik, analyse af immigrationslove og -politikker samt en kortlægning af centrale aktører—Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) og UNHCR—inden for en migrationsregimeramme, undersøger afhandlingen samspillet mellem migrationsstyring (struktur) og migrantagenthed. Den diskuterer, hvordan håndhævelsespraksisser—masseanholdelser, tilbageholdelse og deportation samt andre ekstrajuridiske tiltag—afspejler en nationalisme, der ofte vejer tungere end humanitære forpligtelser, muliggjort af DHA’s betydelige autonomi. Samtidig fremhæver studiet zimbabwernes vedvarende mobilitet og de måder, hvorpå migranter bruger sociale netværk og uformelle strategier til at navigere og omgå restriktioner, trods udsathed for illegalisering, vold og usikkerhed. Analysen antyder, at kontrol og afskrækkelse ikke har begrænset den uformelle migration, og at det dynamiske samspil mellem håndhævelse og uformalisering vil fortsætte i fraværet af langsigtede regionale løsninger. Afhandlingen opfordrer til at anerkende migranters bidragspotentiale og til holdbare, rettighedsbaserede politikker frem for kortsigtet inddæmning.
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