1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910467669203321

Autore

Banda Harvey Chidoba

Titolo

Perspectives of labour migration from Mzimba District, Malawi, to South Africa / / Harvey Chidoba Banda

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Mankon, Bamenda, [Cameroon] : , : Langaa Research & Publishing CIG, , 2017

©2017

ISBN

9956-763-33-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (1 PDF (xii, 145 pages) :) : color illustrations, color map

Disciplina

331.5440968

Soggetti

Migrant labor - South Africa

Electronic books.

South Africa Emigration and immigration

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters.

Nota di contenuto

Preface -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Competition for the labour supply in Mzimba District : the case of Wenela and Mthandizi -- 3. Gendered migrancy from Mzimba District to South Africa since the 1990's -- 4. Xenophobic experiences of Malawian migrants in South Africa -- 5. Madipotii : international recurrent migrants from Zubayumo Makamo area -- 6. Migrants and medicines : the interface of migration and traditional medicinal beliefs in Mzimba District -- 7. Conclusion -- Appendix.

Sommario/riassunto

Labour migration from Malawi to South Africa is a ‘century-old phenomenon'. It dates as far back as the 1880's following the establishment of diamond and gold mines. In the period up to the 1980's, this migration took either formal or informal nature whereas in the post-1990 period it became exclusively informal, popularly known as selufu in Malawi. This book is an attempt to shed light on both forms of migration over time. By using the case of Mzimba, one of the major labour migration districts in Malawi, Perspectives of Labour Migration shows that migration, especially in the post-1990 period, remains a preoccupation of the different categories of both men and women in selected areas in the country. A cross-section of Malawians



continue to regard emigration to South Africa as a means to an end: a way of fulfilling their heart-felt and life-time goals at household and societal levels. Because of their distinguished and unparalleled determination, these labour migrants continue to ‘flock' to South Africa in the midst of such challenges as xenophobia, crime, arrests and deportations. The book advances the argument that Malawian labour migrants are purposive and rational human beings who are ready to overcome these challenges, at times using the most improbable means, for example, through the use of mankhwala gha mwabi (luck medicine).