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 […]
Economic Development Initiatives for Congolese Migrants Opening: A Story of Choice and Opportunity In the busy streets of Lubumbashi, Marie (a pseudonym) repairs mobile phones in a small workshop. She once planned to migrate to Johannesburg in South Africa. Instead, she accepted a local youth-skills training in digital repair and micro-enterprise support. Now she earns
Botswana’s Economic Success Model A Rising Economy Amid Persistent Migration Flows Migration pressures continue to shape Southern Africa’s social and economic landscape. Between 2020 and 2024, roughly 108,000 South Africans emigrated, averaging 27,000 people a year—about 74 leaving daily (BusinessTech, 2024). In contrast, Botswana’s success story offers valuable lessons. Once one of the world’s poorest
Remittances and Inequality: Lessons from Lesotho and South Africa A Lifeline Across the Border Every month, thousands of Basotho workers in South Africa send money home. These remittances are more than just financial transfers—they are survival tools for entire families. According to the World Bank (2024), remittances contributed about 23% of Lesotho’s GDP, one of
