South Africa

Translocal Households, Rural-Urban Links and Migrant Food Security in South Africa

This paper revisits the issue of rural-urban links in post-apartheid South Africa, challenging the assumption that the end of apartheid would lead to rapid urbanization and the dissolution of circular migration. Despite the abolition of influx controls and the significant increase in the urban population from 33% in 1980 to 55% in 2011 among black […]

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Uncovering International Migration and Remittance Patterns in Southern Africa During COVID-19: Compelling Evidence from Cape Town, South Africa

The research brief examines the remitting patterns of African migrants in South Africa and shows that the pandemic and post-pandemic precarity of African migrants impacted their remitting behaviour. The brief is based on research from surveys and in-depth interviews conducted in 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa, focused on African migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers

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Pandemic Precarity and Food Insecurity Among Zimbabwean Migrants in South Africa

This policy brief highlights the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Zimbabwean migrants living in South Africa, with a particular focus on food insecurity and economic precarity. The pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities within the migrant community, many of whom rely on informal, low-wage labour sectors for their livelihoods. The survey conducted in 2021 among

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Experimental Urban Commons?: Re-examining Urban Community Food Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa

Contemporary literature on urban agriculture often analyses urban community gardens as ‘existing’ commons with the capacity to counter neoliberal urban development and resource management practices. However, the existing literature on ‘political gardening’ generally focuses on cities in North America and Europe, despite the prevalence of urban community gardens and neoliberal planning across other regions, including

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Urban Community Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa: Navigating Land Access and Land Tenure Security

Land tenure security continues to pose a significant challenge to the sustainability of urban community gardens in global South cities. However, a few studies have explored the mechanisms that urban gardeners employ to facilitate land access and variations in land tenure security arrangements made with land owners in South African cities. This paper employs a

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Addressing Urban Food Security Challenges for South-South Migrants

This policy brief examines the growing phenomenon of South-South migration, with a focus on the challenges of urban food security faced by migrants moving from one Global South country to urban areas in another. South-South migration has become increasingly significant, yet it remains under-researched, especially regarding the food insecurity that many migrants face in their

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South Africa at War: Food Insecurity, Migrant Exclusion and COVID-19 Policies

The policy audit critically examines the South African government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on the militaristic enforcement of lockdowns and the resulting food insecurity and exclusion of migrant populations. The report aims to inform policy-makers about the impacts of these policies and provide recommendations for crisis management. On 27 March 2020, South

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Responses to COVID-19 by Internal Migrants in South African Cities

This paper explores the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on internal migrants in the urban centres of Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Focusing on the socio-economic and livelihood challenges faced by this population, the research utilizes a survey conducted in 2023 to investigate how the pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. Results highlight significant disruptions in employment,

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Enforcement and Exclusion: COVID-19 Policies, Urban Migrants, and Food Insecurity in Pandemic South Africa

On March 5th, 2020, South Africa recorded its first official case of COVID-19 when a South African tourist returning from a holiday in northern Italy tested positive. The number of excess deaths is now over 300,000. The policy response to the pandemic is widely regarded as amongst the most draconian in Africa. In 2020, the

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Urban Transformation, African Migrants and the Informal Food System in Cape Town

This study will make a significant contribution to the growing literature on migration and food security nexus by focusing on the contribution of migrant women food vendors to the informal food system in Cape Town. In addition,  the study will provide new empirical and conceptual insights into the role of informal food vending in urban

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