Breaking Down the Binary: Layers of Vulnerability among Internally and Internationally Mobile Workers in the Context of Southern Africa

Abstract

AbstractThe end of apartheid in 1994 heralded a new era in South Africa's migrant labour recruitment system. The new democratic government spearheaded reforms to improve labour relations and recruitment practices in the agriculture sector. Using a layered vulnerability analysis framework, this article describes how the recruitment of migrants for agricultural work has shifted since the end of apartheid. Findings from an ethnographic study of undocumented Zimbabwean migrants in the Limpopo province show that the post‐apartheid reforms have not effectively tackled the vulnerabilities which undocumented agricultural workers face. The lack of a coordinated recruitment system motivates farmers to employ strategies which expose migrants to various layers of vulnerability. A win‐win outcome could be achieved by implementing a recruitment programme that does not impose stringent requirements on migrant agricultural workers. Pursuing this approach would reduce the vulnerabilities that the migrants face, enhance adherence to legislation and promote efficiency in agricultural productivity.