Abstract
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. Keywords: migrants; migration; South Africa; Zimbabwean teachers
Highlights
The increase in worldwide migration has caused worker migration to augment, where the International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2004) has established that about half of the world’s migrants are, migrant workers
Trimikliniotis, Gordon and Zondo (2008) have argued that migrant workers are found in large numbers in certain South African labour sectors because they are easier to exploit than native workers, who have various political parties and unions guarding against exploitation
Profile of the Migrant Zimbabwean Teachers The Zimbabwean teachers who participated in this study arrived in South Africa between 2005 and 2010
Summary
The increase in worldwide migration has caused worker migration to augment, where the International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2004) has established that about half of the world’s migrants are, migrant workers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is a popular choice for migrant workers from the region. Crush and Tevera’s (2010) comment that post-apartheid South Africa is highly attractive to all classes of migrant workers and migrants consider South Africa as a country of ‘greener pastures’ in a sub-region blighted by wars, political and economic instability, and government corruption. This indicates that South Africa has a more stable political and economic climate when compared to other countries in this sub-region. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA, 2012) reports a figure of about 1.7 million nonnationals living in South Africa, comprising 3.3% of the country’s population
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