Necro-politics in Practice: How COVID-19 turned migrants into the “Living Dead” in South Africa (Authors: Paddington Mutekwe and Kenny Chiwarawara)
On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a nationwide lockdown as a response to the covid-19 cases recorded in 2020 and within 18 days, infections rose to 402. The lockdown was presented as a decisive move to protect the lives of citizens. But for many migrants in South Africa the pandemic response revealed a system that quietly decides who’s lives mattered. Drawing from the study done by Mutekwe and Chiwarawara in the African Human Mobility Review
Forced Displacement in Niger
In recent years, Niger has seen a sharp rise in forced migration and internal displacement. The Atlas of African Migration an online resource developed by SIHMA, highlights how continuous violence, environmental stress, and regional instability influence mobility patterns throughout the continent. In the case of Niger, displacement trends have been hastened by climate-related disasters as well as worsening political and security conditions in nearby nations. Communities around the nation have changed as a...
NEWLY PUBLISHED ARTICLE: Gaps in the Implementation of the Non-Prima Facie Refugee Status Determination in Uganda
As millions of refugees fleeing conflict and instability, Uganda stands out as one of the friendliest nations amid an evolving global displacement environment (Frank Ahimbisibwe & Milena Belloni, 2024). The procedure of determining non-prima facie refugee status, is less common but vital component of refugee protection. The non-prima facie path requires individual asylum seekers to prove their case, often in urban context and under far more complex conditions than the prima facie approach, which quickly gives refuge...
The unheard voices of professional Black migrant women in South Africa: the hidden layers of exclusion and marginalisation
“I was surprised at your topic because I feel like we are sort of the forgotten people in this work…people overlook us…I was quite surprised and interested that someone is actually wanting to listen to us and our experiences.” (Esther) When we talk about migration and human mobility in Africa, the stories we often hear are shaped through precarity: forcibly displaced, illegal migrants, informal labour, undocumented women, and a constant...
Layers of (Un)Belonging: Zine-Art Research with Migrant Youth Leaving Alternative Care in Cape Town
"I do not feel I belong anywhere. I do not belong here, I am not from here. I am nowhere. I am not from this country. I am not from this planet. I just feel like I do not belong anywhere." These words, written by Rebecca on the last page of her ‘zine’, capture the profound alienation felt by many young migrants navigating life after leaving alternative care. Rebecca, 17, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), came to...
Operation Dudula Ruled Unlawful: What the Court Decided
The South African High Court ruled that Operation Dudula’s actions are unlawful and unconstitutional, affirming that only police and immigration officers may request identity documents. The court has interdicted Operation Dudula and its leaders from demanding passports, intimidating or assaulting foreign nationals, engaging in hate speech, blocking access to healthcare or schools, unlawfully evicting people, interfering with traders or employment, and inciting others to do so. Operation Dudula must inform all its members of the ruling....
