Informal Food Markets and Migrant Survival in South African Cities Introduction: A Daily Struggle Hidden in Plain Sight At 5 a.m. on a cold winter morning in Johannesburg’s inner city, Amina*, a 29-year-old Somali mother, arranges vegetables at her small pavement stall. She arrived in South Africa six years ago, hoping for stability. Yet rising […]
Food Security Challenges Facing Congolese Refugee Households in Cape Town A Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight Marie*, a 34-year-old mother of three, counts coins on a small kitchen table in Athlone. She fled North Kivu in 2019 seeking safety, yet today her family survives on just ZAR 800 a month — an amount that barely
Food Security and Coping Strategies Among Congolese Refugee Households in Cape Town Read More »
How COVID‑19 Border Closures Affected Zimbabwean Traders Opening: Lives Interrupted On 15 March 2020, Beitbridge Border Post — the key land‐border crossing between South Africa and Zimbabwe — effectively sealed for non‑essential human traffic when 35 of South Africa’s 53 land borders were closed to limit the spread of COVID‑19. ACCORD+2News24+2This seemingly technical public‐health decision rippled into the lives
Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Adaptation in South Africa Introduction: Adapting Locally in a Changing Climate Climate change is reshaping lives across South Africa. Droughts, floods, and heat waves now threaten food security and public health. However, not every community chooses to move. Many people adapt in place by using indigenous knowledge systems (IKS)—ancestral ways of
When the Pasture Runs Thin: Drought & Mobility in the Karoo Region Opening: A pastoral crisis in motion In South Africa’s arid heartland, the Karoo stands out. The Central Karoo alone recorded a mere 53 mm rainfall in 2019 and 66 mm in 2020, marking one of its driest stretches in memory. agriorbit.com Over the same period livestock
Municipal By-Law Enforcement as a Xenophobic Tool Introduction: The Silent Crisis of Informal Traders In South Africa, informal traders—especially migrant-run spaza shops and street vendors—play a crucial role in township economies. These small enterprises provide affordable goods and services to underserved communities. However, municipal by-laws intended to regulate informal trade often become instruments of exclusion,
From Spaza Shops to Street Vendors: Municipal By-Law Enforcement as Xenophobic Tool Read More »
Migration Health in South Africa Opening: The Numbers Tell a Story In July 2024, the South Africa-Zimbabwe corridor alone recorded 32,309 movements, constituting 92% of all migration flows across Zimbabwe’s official border points. Meanwhile, healthcare facilities in Johannesburg’s inner city reported a 40% increase in emergency department presentations by undocumented migrants between 2023 and 2024.
