PASSOP, Part I - The Context: Zimbabwean Migration to South Africa

Zimbabwean man crossing into South Africa naked

It’s been over three months since I started working at the human rights and refugee advocacy non-profit organisation PASSOP (People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty) and it’s about time I write down some of my impressions. It’s been a fascinating and challenging experience so far and one from which I am continuously learning. This post is the first of three about PASSOP. This first one sets the context to the work that PASSOP does by outlining Zimbabwean migration to South Africa and the xenophobic tensions that are pervasive here. 

PASSOP’s constituency is primarily the many Zimbabweans currently living in South Africa (although we often work with Congolese, Somalis, Mozambicans etc. too). Many of them are undocumented, or in the country ‘illegally’.  This makes them one of the most marginalised groups in South Africa and makes them particularly vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination, which they are often subjected to in the form of being forced to accept lower wages or paying higher rent, for example.  Sometimes, however, they also become the victims of xenophobic abuse and violence.  PASSOP actively engages both Zimbabwean and South African communities in various townships to resolve labour disputes and documentation issues and to try to pre-empt xenophobia tensions.

At a PASSOP protest: speaking out against injustice

My colleagues at PASSOP are mostly from Zimbabwe.  Just like all the people PASSOP works for, they too have fled the disastrous economy and hostile political environment in their home country (more about my colleagues in Part III). Zimbabwe used to be known as the bread basket of Africa; President Robert Mugabe was once respected as one of the most progressive African independence leaders as high school enrollment rates increased from just 2%  to 70% in his first ten years in office from 1980 to 1990.  At the time Zimbabweans were the most educated, productive and independent populace in Southern Africa.  All of that is no more.

Sign at South African border post

A steady and painful decline that began in the mid-1990s has left Zimbabwe today as a crippled and weak shadow of its former self.  The decline was accelerated in 2000 when Mugabe’s party started forcefully redistributing commercial agricultural land owned by white farmers.  As more and more white farmers were forced to flee, most of the country’s farms became unproductive and the country’s agricultural production, which had made up over half of the country’s foreign income, plummeted. This precipitated the collapse of the economy. Inflation reached historically unprecedented levels to such an extent that a one billion Zimbabwean dollar bill was not enough to buy a roll of toilet paper. Only 10 % of the population was formally employed and the life expectancy dropped from 61 years in 1991 to only 34 years fifteen years later in 2006.  To add to the misery, the political situation turned violent in 2008, when after contested elections hundreds of opposition supporters were killed and thousands detained.

The result was that many ordinary Zimbabweans had no other chance but to emigrate.  Most fled to South Africa, where it is estimated that around 1.5 million (or 25% of Zimbabwe’s labour force) currently live and work to be able to earn a livelihood for their families at home.  A migration on such a scale is unprecedented in a country that is not at war. Having such large numbers of Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa aggravates many South Africans who blame them for taking their jobs. There is some truth to this, since unemployment in South Africa is at an impressive 25% and because Zimbabweans are not only usually better educated than South Africans, but also extremely hard-working, they often manage to find jobs more easily.

Angry mob of South Africans chasing foreigners out of township

The lack of employment, as well as the generally low quality of services available to poor South Africans, coupled with a long-standing and widespread belief amongst South Africans that South Africa is somehow  superior to other African countries, xenophobia often rears its ugly head. In 2008, xenophobic violence erupted in townships all across the country that left dozens dead and tens of thousands displaced. Despite leading to heavy national and international condemnation, xenophobic violence has since broken out a handful of times more, albeit on a smaller scale.

Burning down the shacks of foreigners

How can a people that only 16 years ago freed itself from the oppressive shackles of the appalling Apartheid system have turned so quickly into the oppressors? Where does the hatred towards their African brothers and sisters come from? Is it because the wounds of decades of Apartheid have not yet healed properly? Probably... but it is also largely because South Africans too often forget that their Zimbabwean, and Congolese, and Somali brothers and sisters are not in South Africa out of choice, but out of necessity. Most simply cannot find a means to feed their children unless they migrate south of the border. They love their home countries just as much as anyone, but in most cases, they have no choice but to leave. Failing to understand this, many bigoted South Africans are quick to blame their own woes on others and point the finger at the ‘foreigners’. This must end - there must be more empathy, more humility and more love. 

PASSOP works towards achieving this goal. Beyond fighting against xenophobia, we are also lobbying strongly against the South African government’s plan to begin deporting Zimbabweans again later this year. Although the record-breaking inflation rates have normalised since the Zimbabwean currency was scrapped last year and there is some sense of calm following a power-sharing agreement between the two main political parties, ZANU-PF and MDC, unemployment is still at over 80% and many opposition supporters still fear for their lives. With elections looming in a few months, the intimidation tactics have already begun as Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party are looking more defiant than ever. This will surely bring a swift end to the current calm.  Deporting Zimbabweans back to a place where they face starvation, fear and violence is foolhardy and irresponsible, at best.