Migration of Zimbabwean Scholars in the SADC Region in the 21st Century

Abstract

Before Zimbabwe gained its independence, the Zimbabwean higher education system was considered one of the best on the continent. The higher education system of Zimbabwe has produced large numbers of scholars with skills in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects compared to countries such as South Africa and Botswana in the SADC region. The SADC region has witnessed a significant movement of Zimbabweans mainly to South Africa and Botswana during the 21st Century which has played an enormous role in the promotion of the internationalisation of higher education in the SADC region. Although there is much data on the migration of Zimbabweans to other countries, there is only a limited amount data that specifically focuses on the movement of scholars. Therefore, this chapter seeks to address this scarcity in research by providing an understanding of the push and pull factors that contribute to the massive movement of Zimbabwean scholars to other countries within the Southern African Development Community region with a special focus on South Africa and Botswana. The chapter also look at the impact of the movement on both the sending country and receiving countries. Literature sources were used as the main source of the data for this chapter. The movement of Zimbabwean scholars to the Southern African Development Community region can play a vital role in the attainment of Africanisation and Internationalisation in the SADC region. Therefore, such movement should be managed effectively in order for both the countries of origin and of destination to realise the benefits of migration.