When Our Neighbours Stop Coming: Return Migration and Sectoral Labour Gaps in South Africa Opening: A Startling Case and the Context In early 2021, during South Africa’s Covid‑19 lockdown, around 100,000 labour migrants returned from South Africa to Lesotho. Many had worked in low‑skilled sectors such as domestic work, construction, mining, and agriculture (lesotho.un.org). Of […]
Trade Unions and Migrant Worker Protection in South Africa’s Informal Economy: Challenges and Solutions A Crisis in Plain Sight In January 2024, armed Operation Dudula members descended on the Beitbridge border post. They aimed to physically prevent Zimbabwean migrants from entering South Africa. Meanwhile, in Johannesburg’s townships, Maria (name changed), a 34-year-old Zimbabwean domestic worker,
Beyond Borders, Beyond Compliance: Understanding Employer Obligations for SADC Migrant Workers in South Africa Opening: When Policy Meets Reality Thandi*, a 34-year-old mine worker from Mozambique, arrived at a Johannesburg clinic in 2023 with advanced tuberculosis. For 18 months, she had worked without proper occupational health screening or permit verification. Her employer had neglected mandatory
Foreign Workers in South Africa: Legal Protections under the LRA and Immigration Act Introduction: When Work and Law Collide In April 2025, immigrant workers at M&N Waste in Johannesburg won a CCMA ruling for unpaid wages. Many had worked for decades without valid permits. Yet soon after the victory, their employer suspended several of them
