Labour Migration in Southern Africa

This monograph will briefly outline the origins of the migratory labour system. The trends in labour movement are of particular significance and these are examined at length. Three parties are involved in any migration: the governments of the supplying and recipient countries, and migrants and their families. Each group and its importance will be discussed. Although the system has been in operation for over a century, it will almost certainly change in the next ten years. The paper attempts to predict likely changes. Finally, the paper considers movements other than those of migrants to South Africa. These include unskilled labour seeking employment in other Southern African states; the movement of skilled workers; as well as refugees and illegal immigrants.