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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for ACMS
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TZID:Africa/Johannesburg
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DTSTART:20240101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20261007T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20261007T133000
DTSTAMP:20261002T153443Z
CREATED:20261002T064546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261002T153443Z
UID:30000273-1791376200-1791379800@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: When the Compound Was the Classroom: Parenthood Without a Template in Nigeria’s Middle Belt
DESCRIPTION:When the Compound Was the Classroom: Parenthood Without a Template in Nigeria’s Middle Belt \nPresenter: Adetola Oyenubi (PhD Candidate\, African Centre for Migration & Society\, Wits University) \nDate: Wednesday\, 07 October 2026\nTime: 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT+2)\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions) and Online (Meeting ID: 96263184553. Password: *4ovg2LyFs) \nAbstract:\nIn December 2023\, coordinated attacks across Bokkos\, Plateau State\, killed hundreds and displaced thousands\, leaving many caregivers to rebuild family life without the people who once taught them how. This presentation introduces the concept of “transmission breach” to highlight how displacement severs the everyday apprenticeship through which caregiving knowledge passes between generations. Drawing on fieldwork with twenty-five caregivers in Bokkos and one father’s account of losing his wife and returning alone to an unrecognisable village\, the study uses situated learning theory and feminist care theory to examine this rupture\, alongside the anthropology of African childhood to consider what is lost when the relationships through which children learn to care are broken. \nBio:\nAdetola Oyenubi is a PhD candidate at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS)\, University of the Witwatersrand. Her doctoral research examines how caregiving is reconfigured and how well-being shifts among internally displaced families in Bokkos Local Government Area\, Plateau State\, Nigeria. Her scholarship bridges African studies and forced migration\, with a particular grounding in care ethics.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-when-the-compound-was-the-classroom-parenthood-without-a-template-in-nigerias-middle-belt/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, University of the Witwatersrand
CATEGORIES:Event,Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Seminar_Adetola_07.10.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260930T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260930T133000
DTSTAMP:20260921T154235Z
CREATED:20260916T132546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260921T154235Z
UID:30000270-1790771400-1790775000@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: Young migrants’ candidacy for sexual and reproductive health services in two urban communities in Zambia
DESCRIPTION:INVITE: Young Migrants’ Candidacy for Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Two Urban Communities in Zambia \nPresenter: Melvin Simuyaba (PhD Candidate\, African Centre for Migration & Society\, Wits University) \nDATE: 30 September 2026 \nTIME: 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT+2) \nVENUE: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions) and Online (Meeting ID: 92528515079. Password: o_yjP42MH6) \nAbstract:\nThis study describes mobile adolescents and young people’s (mAYP) experiences accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in two urban communities in Zambia. Qualitative research data collected between September 2023 and June 2026 were used to understand how mAYP’s eligibility for SRH services is negotiated using the seven stages of the candidacy framework. The study findings revealed that despite mAYP expressing a need for SRH services\, factors such as communication barriers\, documentation requirements\, healthcare workers’ attitudes\, lack of essential medicines and lack of youth friendly services result in them not believing the services in public health facilities are intended for them. Improving mAYP’s access to SRH services requires addressing structural and service level barriers responding to their unique needs. \nBio:\nMelvin Simuyaba is a PhD candidate at the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS)\, at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has a Social Work and Public Health background. His research is nested in an NIHR-funded Nurture4Youth project focusing on young migrants and access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in two urban communities in Zambia. His research interests include mobilities\, HIV risk behaviours\, use of HIV treatment as prevention\, adolescents\, SRH and marginalised populations.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-young-migrants-candidacy-for-sexual-and-reproductive-health-services-in-two-urban-communities-in-zambia/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, University of the Witwatersrand
CATEGORIES:Event,Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Seminar_Young-Migrants-Candidacy_Melvin-S.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260916T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260916T133000
DTSTAMP:20260908T053247Z
CREATED:20260908T052541Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T053247Z
UID:30000269-1789561800-1789565400@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: Informal Governance from Below
DESCRIPTION:SEMINAR: Informal Governance from Below: Hybrid Authority\,  Legitimation\, and Migration \nDATE: 16 September 2026 \nTIME: 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT+2) \nVENUE: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions) and ONLINE (Meeting ID: 96111762177. Password: @jnG99yKA4) \nDr. Balkissa Daouda Diallo (Postdoctoral Fellow\, African Centre for Migration & Society) will present a hybrid seminar exploring how international migration politics shape regional and domestic mobility governance\, informal governance\, and the precarity of movement in Africa. \nDrawing on her research on African migrations and governance\, this seminar examines the tension between constructed borders and the lived realities of those navigating them. It asks: How do borders\, both formal and informal\, shape the lives of migrants? And what does hybrid authority mean for governance\, belonging\, and survival? \nAbstract: This paper explores the tension between constructed borders and the lived realities of those navigating them in Africa. Drawing on research on African migrations and governance\, it examines how international migration politics shape regional and domestic mobility governance\, informal governance\, and the precarity of movement. The paper argues that borders are not merely physical lines but are produced and reproduced through legal\, political\, and social processes that shape migrants’ lives. \nBio: Dr. Balkissa Daouda Diallo is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS). Her research focuses on African migrations and governance\, exploring how international migration politics influence regional and domestic mobility governance\, informal governance\, and the precarity of movement. She holds a PhD in Global Governance and Human Security from the University of Massachusetts Boston\, an MA in International Development\, and an MSc in Environmental Studies from Ohio University. She is a Fulbright alumna and a member of the African Studies Association. \n  \n 
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-informal-governance-from-below/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Event,Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Seminar_Informal-Governance-from-Below_Dr-Balkissa.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260826T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260826T133000
DTSTAMP:20260824T143131Z
CREATED:20260812T173748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260824T143131Z
UID:30000265-1787747400-1787751000@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS SEMINAR: Why the Urban Matters in Understanding the Health of Migrants
DESCRIPTION:SEMINAR: Why the Urban Matters in Understanding the Health of Migrants: Insights from a Border Space between South Africa and Zimbabwe \nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions) \nZoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/96044551994?pwd=yYEIcJb9Y6LmftslUALYZdwwan928m.1 \, Meeting ID: 96044551994\, Passcode: e*-A@32O0s \nDr. Fehmida Qaddus Rabbani (Postdoctoral Research Fellow\, African Centre for Migration & Society) will present a hybrid seminar exploring how everyday urban conditions shape the health and well-being of South Asian migrants in Musina. a busy South African town on the border with Zimbabwe. \nDrawing on qualitative fieldwork and interviews with South Asian migrants\, this paper highlights the important role of daily urban conditions\, access to secure housing\, work\, safety\, and social services\, in shaping health outcomes. While migration and health research is often framed around healthcare systems and policies\, this seminar argues that the health of migrants is deeply shaped by how they experience life in an urban border area\, where many remain for extended periods rather than simply passing through. \nAbstract: This paper explores how everyday urban conditions shape the health and well-being of South Asian migrants. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork in Musina\, a busy South African town on the border with Zimbabwe\, this paper draws on insights from interviews with South Asian migrants and their lived experiences of mobility\, survival\, and vulnerability in an urban border setting. While the field of migration and health research is often framed around healthcare systems and policies\, this paper highlights the critical role of daily urban conditions\, such as access to secure housing\, work\, safety\, and social services in shaping health outcomes. Ultimately\, this paper argues that the health of South Asian migrants is deeply shaped by how they experience life in an urban border area where many remain for extended periods rather than simply passing through. \nBio: Dr Fehmida Qaddus Rabbani is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS)\, CoRE Migration & Health\, University of the Witwatersrand. Her research examines how migration\, health\, and urban life intersect through everyday experiences of mobility\, settlement\, transnationalism\, and belonging. This presentation draws on her analysis of interviews with South Asian migrants conducted in Musina as part of the NIHR-funded GEMMS research project. \n 
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-why-the-urban-matters-in-understanding-the-health-of-migrants/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Event,Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/1.4_Exclusionary-Cohesion.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260617T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260617T133000
DTSTAMP:20260803T142937Z
CREATED:20260803T142937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142937Z
UID:30000231-1781699400-1781703000@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS SEMINAR: Hearing the City
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Brian Murahwa\nTitle: Hearing the City: Pentecostalism\, Urban Soundscapes and the Politics of Audibility in Johannesburg’s Inner City\nDiscussant: Carina Tenewaa Kanbi\nDate: Wednesday\, 17 June 2026\nTime: 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT+2)\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp\, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514\, Passcode: 012731\nRSVP: Email Jaclyn.Modise@wits.ac.za \nAbstract:\nThis article examines Johannesburg’s inner city as a complex auditory landscape where religious actors\, informal economies\, transport systems\, and street life intersect\, creating overlapping acoustic territories. Sound influences spatial order\, social interactions\, and belonging. Over the past two decades\, the city has integrated new ‘sounds’ from Pentecostal Churches\, whose growth has surged amid rising urban insecurity and uncertainty. The use of high-powered sound systems in Pentecostal churches has elicited mixed reactions – joyous for Pentecostals and an affront to other urban actors. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork\, this article argues that the use of boisterous sound systems by Pentecostal Churches should not be dismissed as mere nuisances or ‘noise’\, but rather\, should be understood as forms of spatial production embedded within broader urban struggles over visibility\, audibility\, legitimacy\, and survival. This study proposes ‘sonic justice’ as an alternative framework to the prevailing noise governance systems – a shift from the ‘acoustics of control’ to the’ acoustics of coexistence’\, where sonic diversity is acknowledged as an inherent aspect of urban life. \nAbout the researcher/presenter:\nBrian Murahwa is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS). An interdisciplinary urban researcher\, his interests lie at the intersection of theory and practice in the fields of urban planning and management; mobility and social cohesion; socio-spatial transformations; religious urbanism; and sustainable cities. He holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and a Masters in Labour Policy and Globalisation\, both from the University of Witwatersrand\, and a BA in Sociology from the Great Zimbabwe University. \n 
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-hearing-the-city/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FI_Brian_Seminar-e1781005558513.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260527T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260527T133000
DTSTAMP:20260803T142937Z
CREATED:20260803T142937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142937Z
UID:30000230-1779885000-1779888600@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS SEMINAR: Home Beyond Borders
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Lydia Moyo\nTitle: Home Beyond Borders: Belonging and Identity among Zimbabwean Venda-Speaking Migrants in South Africa\nDiscussant: Dr Paddington Mutekwe\nDate: Wednesday\, 27 May 2026\nTime: 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT+2)\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp\, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514\, Passcode: 012731\nRSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za \nAbstract:\nThis article explores how Zimbabwean Venda-speaking migrants in Pretoria\, South Africa\, construct and negotiate meanings of home under conditions of prolonged and precarious migration. Drawing on qualitative data from 30 participants collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically using Atlas.ti\, the study shows that home extends beyond a fixed geographical place to include emotional attachment\, memory\, cultural practice\, and social relationships. Participants use embodied practices such as food and music to sustain belonging across borders while maintaining connections to Zimbabwe. Although migration was often initially viewed as temporary\, prolonged residence fostered forms of rootedness in South Africa alongside enduring transnational ties. The article argues that homemaking among precarious migrants is both portable and spiritually anchored through everyday cultural reproduction\, ancestry\, land\, and burial sites\, contributing to debates on transnational belonging and identity. \nAbout the researcher/presenter:\nLydia Moyo is a postdoctoral research fellow at ACMS under the Disrupting the cycle of gendered violence & poor mental health among migrants in precarious situations (GEMMS) research group. She holds a doctorate from the University of Johannesburg\, and her thesis was titled “Geopolitics of Relocating: The Integration Experiences of Zimbabwean Venda-Speaking Migrants Residing in Pretoria\, South Africa.” She also holds a master’s degree as well as an honours degree from the University of Johannesburg. She did her undergraduate degree at the University of Zimbabwe. She has worked on a project looking at the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits as the research coordinator. She is a multilingual individual speaking almost 6 languages (Tshivenda\, English\, Pedi\, isiZulu\, Ndebele\, Shona). She has worked as an enumerator on various projects\, but her most significant role was conducting the largest survey at GEMMS as the qualitative lead\, as well as being appointed as a supervisor. Her research interests are in migration\, xenophobia\, language\, and integration. \n 
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-home-beyond-borders/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Home-Beyond-Borders-seminar-poster-20May2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260520T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260520T133000
DTSTAMP:20260803T142937Z
CREATED:20260803T142937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142937Z
UID:30000229-1779280200-1779283800@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS SEMINAR: Growing Up Across Borders
DESCRIPTION:Presenters: Prof. Jane Freedman and Dr Aron Hagos Tesfai\nTitle: Growing Up Across Borders\nDate: Wednesday\, 20 May 2026\nTime: 12:30 – 13:30\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp\, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514\, Passcode: 012731\nRSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za \nAbstract:\nGrowing Up Across Borders (GRABS) is a project at the Université Paris 8 that explores how migration\, mobility\, and urban life shape the health\, wellbeing\, and everyday experiences of young people across Southern Africa. Bringing together research\, dialogue\, and community engagement\, the project focuses particularly on the ways mobile and migrant youth navigate access to healthcare\, social support\, education\, and opportunities within contexts of inequality and precarity. By centring young people’s lived experiences across borders\, the project aims to generate evidence that informs more inclusive policies\, responsive health systems\, and youth-centred approaches to social justice and development. \nAbout the presenters:\nProf. Jane Freedman is the leader of the European Research Council (ERC) funded Growing Up Across Borders (GRABS) project. She is a professor at the Université Paris 8 and a member of the Paris Centre for Social and Political Research (CRESPPA). Her research has focused for many years on issues of migration and borders\, with an intersectional and postcolonial approach. She is particularly interested in the ways that migration and border policies create gendered and racist forms of violence and vulnerability for people on the move\, and the ways in which people on the move resist this violence. \nDr Aron Hagos Tesfai is the South Africa partner in the GRABS project. He has a PhD in Psychology (Health Promotion) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal\, South Africa. His research focuses on the migration and the psychosocial well-being of refugees. His research interests cover the social psychology of migration and explore themes such as integration\, social trust\, belongingness\, im(mobility) and agency. He is a refugee activist and involved in refugee politics. He is currently involved in a research project on migration that looks at the intersectional vulnerabilities of young refugees and sexual and gender-based violence in the context of migration.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-growing-up-across-borders/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026_02_01InstallationViewAcrossBorders©NiamhWalsh-Vorster6.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260513T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260513T133000
DTSTAMP:20260803T142936Z
CREATED:20260803T142936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142936Z
UID:30000228-1778675400-1778679000@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS SEMINAR: The Adversity Grid - Beyond Epistemological Traps
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Tanatswa Chineka\nTitle: The Adversity Grid: Beyond Epistemological Traps in the Gendered Liminality of Unaccompanied Migrant Boys\nRespondent: Prof. Edmos Mtetwa (Department of Social Work\, University of Zimbabwe) \nDate: Wednesday\, 13 May 2026\nTime: 12:30 – 13:30\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp\, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514\, Passcode: 012731\nRSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za \nAbstract:\nUnaccompanied migrant adolescent boys navigate health and protection systems from structurally precarious positions shaped by displacement\, poverty\, gendered expectations\, and uneven institutional recognition. This paper argues that reductive framings of boys as vulnerable victims\, resilient survivors\, or problematic young men flatten the complexity of their lives and risk producing responses that are misaligned with their needs. Drawing on qualitative research in Zimbabwe\, including interviews\, focus groups\, and field observations\, I bring Renos Papadopoulos’ (2021) Adversity Grid into dialogue with scholarship on masculinities\, constrained agency\, and institutional misrecognition. Findings show that boys occupy a condition of gendered liminality and are subject to a girl-centred triage\, achieving only partial recognition through the figure of the “good migrant boy.” I develop the concepts of interpretive displacement and differentiated recognition to show how boys are seen but misread. The Adversity Grid supports more accurate understanding\, enabling informed best-interests decision-making and more appropriately tailored health and protection responses. \nAbout the researcher/presenter:\nTanatswa Chineka is a joint doctoral researcher with the ACMS’s Migration and Displacement programme at Wits University and the University of Essex’s Public Health. He has a background in social work\, and has research interests in child migration\, health systems and policy\, social security and mental health. His joint PhD examines how access to health care by unaccompanied migrant boys is determined by their experiences of masculinities and exercise of agency\, as they move. The study interrogates the intersections between the notions of gender (experience of masculinities/femininity)\, age (being a minor/teenager)\, migrant identity (being unaccompanied) and migrant status (being irregular). He is interested in exploring how this intersection simultaneously frames/is framed by child agency\, and in turn determines health care access. He is a member of various public health and migration research caucuses\, including the IMISCOE PhD Academy\, GEMMS and CoRE in Migration and Health.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-the-adversity-grid-beyond-epistemological-traps/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tanatswa_Chineka_seminar_poster_4May2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260415T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260415T133000
DTSTAMP:20260803T142935Z
CREATED:20260803T142935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142935Z
UID:30000225-1776256200-1776259800@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS SEMINAR: Fixed Systems\, Mobile Lives
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Lucy Pearl Khofi\nDiscussant: Professor Busisiwe Nkala-Dlamini (Wits University\, Department of Social Work)\nTitle: Fixed Systems\, Mobile Lives: Structural Misalignment and the Negotiation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care among Mobile Adolescents and Young People in Johannesburg\nDate: Wednesday\, 15 April 2026\nTime: 12:30 – 13:30\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp\, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514\, Passcode: 012731\nRSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za \nAbstract:\nSouth Africa has strong legal and policy commitments towards universal health coverage (UHC) and the protection of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). However\, mobile adolescents and young people (mAYP) continue to face significant challenges in accessing SRHR services\, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts characterised by high levels of internal and cross-border mobility. Nurture4Youth aims to support mAYP’s health and wellbeing by strengthening their capacity to navigate access to SRHR services in new and often precarious environments. \nThis paper draws on rapid ethnographic assessments conducted in Johannesburg\, including inner-city and Soweto township sites\, to examine how mAYP experience and navigate access to SRHR services. The rapid ethnographic assessment approach included participatory methods such as transect walks\, structured observations of key spaces\, community engagements\, and in-depth interviews and discussions with mAYP\, healthcare providers\, and community stakeholders. \nA thematic analysis of the data highlights the structural misalignment between mobile populations and territorially fixed health systems. Findings show that access to SRHR services is not determined solely by availability\, but is actively negotiated through temporal\, spatial\, and social processes. Young people described waking before sunrise to secure a place in clinic queues\, often facing long waiting times and the risk of being turned away. Frequent mobility across neighbourhoods\, provinces\, and national borders disrupts continuity of care\, while health systems remain spatially fixed and administratively fragmented. Informal networks and community-based organisations mediated access by directing young people to specific clinics\, sharing information about service availability\, and\, in some cases\, facilitating entry into services where formal access pathways were limited. These forms of mediation were uneven\, with access shaped by young people’s social connections\, gendered experiences\, and familiarity with local support structures. \nThis paper argues that SRHR service delivery in urban South Africa is structurally misaligned with the lived realities of mAYP\, requiring them to continuously negotiate their access to care. These findings have implications for achieving UHC and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals\, particularly in relation to health\, gender equality\, and reducing inequalities. \nAbout the researcher/presenter:\nLucy Pearl Khofi is a medical anthropologist and public health researcher with interdisciplinary expertise in gender\, migration\, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)\, food insecurity\, and structural vulnerability in urban and peri-urban contexts in Southern Africa. She is a Postdoctoral Researcher at ACMS\, University of the Witwatersrand\, where she is part of the NIHR-funded Nurture4Youth project focusing on mobility\, youth wellbeing\, and access to SRHR services.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-fixed-systems-mobile-lives/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://migration.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Fixed-Systems-Mobile-Lives_LucyKhofi_seminar_poster_15April2026.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260325T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20260325T134500
DTSTAMP:20260803T142935Z
CREATED:20260803T142935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142935Z
UID:30000224-1774441800-1774446300@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS SEMINAR: Exclusionary Cohesion? Rethinking the Nexus between Social Cohesion and Xenophobic Violence in South Africa
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Jean Pierre Misago\nDate: Wednesday\, 25 March 2026\nTime: 12:30 – 13:45\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163)\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp\, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514\, Passcode: 012731\nRSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za \nAbstract:\nDrawing on nearly two decades of multi-case and comparative qualitative research\, this article examines the relationship between social cohesion and xenophobic violence in South Africa. Echoing emerging scholarship\, it challenges the conventional wisdom that social cohesion is inherently a solution to violence. It demonstrates that under certain conditions\, social cohesion is linked to xenophobic violence\, not as a solution but as a driver. It indeed argues that intersections between i) migration-induced diversity; ii) severe socio-economic deprivation; and iii) local governance deficits turn already pervasive bonding cohesion into ‘exclusionary cohesion’\, thereby rendering aspects of social cohesion (i.e. social cohesion itself) a driver of xenophobic violence. The article makes three scholarly contributions. First\, it introduces two concepts – ‘exclusionary cohesion’ and ‘deprivation-induced cohesion’ (an extension of social closure) – that capture the essence of aspects of social cohesion making it a driver of xenophobic violence in South Africa. Second\, it lends voice to calls for reconceptualising social cohesion by providing additional empirical evidence that its conventional understandings have become increasingly anachronistic. Third\, it extends the debate on the relationship between social cohesion and violence by beginning to identify factors or conditions that link specific forms of cohesion to specific forms of violence. Practically\, it joins others in cautioning policymakers against ‘romanticising’ social cohesion as a straightforward solution to xenophobic violence and calls for interventions that not only promote non-violent forms of cohesion but also address the conditions that make exclusionary cohesion possible. \nAbout the researcher/presenter:\nJean Pierre Misago is a Senior Researcher and Co-Director at the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology (University of Zimbabwe\, 2001); an MA in Forced Migration Studies (Wits University\, 2005); an MA in Humanitarian Assistance (Tufts University\, 2008); a Certificate in Humanitarian Studies & Field Practice (Harvard University & Tufts University\, 2008); a PhD in Migration and Displacement (Wits University\, 2016); and a Certificate in Ethnicity\, Conflict and Inequality in Global Perspective (Brown University\, 2017). His research focuses on the effects of migration on identity and belonging; xenophobia and violent outsider exclusion; and the governance of migration and human mobility at different levels. He has published a significant and growing number of articles in international journals\, book chapters in edited volumes\, and research reports. He teaches Honours and MA Migration and Displacement courses and supervises Honours\, MA and PhD students at ACMS.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-exclusionary-cohesion-rethinking-the-nexus-between-social-cohesion-and-xenophobic-violence-in-south-africa/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250917T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250917T134500
DTSTAMP:20260803T142933Z
CREATED:20260803T142933Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142933Z
UID:30000218-1758112200-1758116700@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: Home and Away - An Analysis of Out of Country Voting in South African Elections
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Catherine Musuva\nDate: Wednesday\, 17 September 2025\nTime: 12:30 – 13:45\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/95786624514?pwd=53Oi1h6gHcWY2Q43O0p8ZqzOsOLZXp.1\nRegister: https://tinyurl.com/4zxkc7s8 \nAbstract:\nThis research examines the extent to which South Africans living abroad are interested in participating in homeland elections. South Africa has a relatively large emigrant population\, and non-resident citizens enjoy the right to vote in national elections. Yet\, electoral behaviour is largely studied through a domestic voter lens\, and the factors that influence emigrant political behaviour are not fully understood despite the growing interest of migration scholars and political scientists in external voting globally. A historical analysis of external voting data from the electoral commission of South Africa reveals that uptake is very low and opposition parties are the main beneficiaries of external votes. The research theorises on explanations for the data and contributes to broader debates on migrant agency\, citizenship and transnational political participation. \nAbout the researcher/presenter:\nDr Catherine Musuva is a senior researcher and postgraduate coordinator at the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS) at Wits. She is also a research fellow at the Centre for Research on Democracy (CREDO) at Stellenbosch University. Musuva holds a BA in International Relations\, an MA in Development Management\, an MPhil in Development Studies and a PhD in Political Science. Her research interests are broadly around democratic development and migration governance in Africa.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-home-and-away-an-analysis-of-out-of-country-voting-in-south-african-elections/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250825T100000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250825T113000
DTSTAMP:20260803T142932Z
CREATED:20260803T142932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142932Z
UID:30000215-1756116000-1756121400@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS seminar: On the move — where does wellbeing fit?
DESCRIPTION:Date: Monday\, 25 August 2025\nTime: 10:00 – 11:30\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/99337631783?pwd=gvLi3k7R74aLv3N9R2t4IY2NtMa4RP.1 \nMigration and mobility shape multiple dimensions of wellbeing\, from physical and mental health to social inclusion\, identity\, and access to rights. Yet\, wellbeing often remains a secondary consideration in policy and research on migration. This webinar explores how wellbeing fits into the lived realities of those on the move — highlighting the challenges they face\, the resilience they show\, and the policies and practices needed to support them. \nSPEAKERS\nMs Margaret Zulu – Project Manager\, Save the Children\, South Africa\nDr Mwelwa Phiri – Researcher\, Zambart\, Zambia\nDr Glynis Clacherty – Research Associate\, ACMS\, Wits University and Independent Consultant \nMODERATOR\nDr Langelihle Mlotshwa- Researcher\, ACMS\, Wits University
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-on-the-move-where-does-wellbeing-fit/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250820T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250820T134500
DTSTAMP:20260803T142931Z
CREATED:20260803T142931Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142931Z
UID:30000214-1755693000-1755697500@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: Managing the Transition - Adjusting Migration Policies to Respond to a World Undergoing Demographic Change
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Andrew Selee\nDate: Wednesday\, 20 August 2025\nTime: 12:30 – 13:45\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/95786624514?pwd=53Oi1h6gHcWY2Q43O0p8ZqzOsOLZXp.1\nRegister: https://tinyurl.com/4zxkc7s8 \nAbstract:\nThe world is undergoing rapid demographic change\, with most upper and upper-middle-income countries dropping below replacement level fertility and many middle-income countries following close behind. As populations shrink in these countries\, immigration will become one of the few ways that countries maintain a robust labor force and ensure fiscal solvency\, even taking into account productivity gains and changes in workforce needs brought about by technological innovation. And African countries will almost certainly be the source of most of the migrants that are willing to move to these rapidly aging societies. \nHowever\, this transition is likely to be less than smooth\, with increased migration also leading to significant push-back within destination countries and to calls both for greater border controls. As a result\, managing this transition effectively will require building legal pathways proactively\, adjusting the pace of change thoughtfully\, and ensuring the credibility of immigration systems to facilitate mobility. It will also require rethinking narratives of national identity in destination societies\, while ensuring that emigration from source countries\, largely in Africa\, can lead to long-term growth and development through proactive investments in human capital. \nAnd while this may initially seem to be a challenge just for the highly developed economies of Europe\, North America\, and East Asia\, it will quickly become relevant in South Africa and significant parts of Latin America\, the Caribbean\, and Southeast Asia. \nAbout the researcher/presenter:\nDr Andrew Selee is president of the Migration Policy Institute\, a non-partisan\, independent think tank based in Washington\, DC and Brussels\, which focuses on data\, analysis\, and prospective ideas for migration policy. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University\, both in the School of Foreign Service and in the School of Public Policy. Previously he was the Executive Vice President of the Woodrow Wilson Center. \nDr Selee is the author and co-author of several books\, including On the Move: Migration Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean (Stanford University Press\, 2025)\, Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together (PublicAffairs\, 2018)\, and What Should Think Tanks Do? A Strategic Guide to Policy Impact (Stanford University Press\, 2013). His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal\, New York Times\, Foreign Affairs\, and Foreign Policy\, among other publications. He holds a PhD in Policy Studies from the University of Maryland and was named an Andrew Carnegie Fellow in 2017-18.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-managing-the-transition-adjusting-migration-policies-to-respond-to-a-world-undergoing-demographic-change/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250806T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250806T134500
DTSTAMP:20260803T142931Z
CREATED:20260803T142931Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142931Z
UID:30000213-1754483400-1754487900@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: Queering Sex work and Mobility in South Africa
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Ntokozo Yingwana\nDate: Wednesday\, 6 August 2025\nTime: 12:30 – 13:45\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/95786624514?pwd=53Oi1h6gHcWY2Q43O0p8ZqzOsOLZXp.1\nRegister: https://tinyurl.com/4zxkc7s8 \nAbstract:\nDrawing from a doctoral thesis with a similar title\, this paper explores the intersections of sex work\, mobility\, migration and gendered sexualities through a queer lens. The study informing it made use of digital storytelling and WhatsApp to engage 17 migrant and mobile sex workers in South Africa\, during 2019 and 2020. Through a queering of sex work\, migration and mobility analysis we learn that because sex work is essentially about using one’s body to perform varying sexual acts with different types of people for financial gain\, a migrant/mobile sex worker is exposed to different ways of experiencing sexual (dis)pleasure. According to the research participants this can then broaden the body’s erotic vocabulary and expand one’s range of sexual desires\, along with their expressions; to the point whereby it can also have an influence on one’s gendered sexuality and choice of intimate partner. However\, the respondents also stressed the integral role movement plays in this evolution of one’s gendered sexuality. Hence\, this paper argues for the recognition of migrant/mobile sex work as intrinsically queer\, and concludes by unpacking the socio-political implications of this in relation to (sexual) citizenship. \nAbout the researcher:\nNtokozo Yingwana is a researcher and PhD candidate with the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at Wits University. She holds a Masters in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex\, and an Honours in Gender and Transformation from the African Gender Institute (AGI) at the University of Cape Town. Prior to that she earned a Bachelor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University. Yingwana has nearly two decades of experience in sex worker rights’ scholar-activism in Africa.
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-queering-sex-work-and-mobility-in-south-africa/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250723T123000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250723T134500
DTSTAMP:20260803T142930Z
CREATED:20260803T142930Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142930Z
UID:30000212-1753273800-1753278300@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: The ‘Oil and Water’ Dynamics of Migration Governance in West Africa: A Bottom-up Perspective in Niger
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Balkissa Daouda Diallo\nDate: Wednesday\, 23 July 2025\nTime: 12:30 – 13:45\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/95441930593\nRegister: https://tinyurl.com/4zxkc7s8 \nAbstract:\nStudies on migration governance in the context of African so-called migrants sending countries are often influenced by European narratives. While this discourse informs migration policy in these countries\, it overshadows existing local mechanisms that condition actors’ practices. Debates on this issue either point to the influence of the European Union (EU) on migration governance in Africa\, or to the agency of African states in aligning or ‘bargaining’ their policy goals with global agendas on migration. The present discussion uses a multi-level governance lens to examine the case of Niger’s management of ‘transit’ migration to Europe from 2015–2020. Its objective is to explore the influences multi-level actors had on this governance and its outcomes. In doing so\, it shows how higher-level processes seldom reflect lower-level realities where informality prevails often at the expense of migrants. These dynamics critically challenge conventional ideas of what is considered ‘legal’ or ‘illegal’ crossings in a context where borders are negotiated informally. \nAbout the researcher:\nDr Balkissa Daouda Diallo is a Postdoctoral Researcher affiliated with the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS). Her research is on African migrations and governance with a focus on informal and multi-level mechanisms. She holds a Ph.D. in Global Governance and Human Security and an M.A. in Conflict Resolution from the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston). She also holds an M.A. in International Development and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Ohio University. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and History at the University of Ghana\, Legon. \n 
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-the-oil-and-water-dynamics-of-migration-governance-in-west-africa-a-bottom-up-perspective-in-niger/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250312T122000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20250312T133000
DTSTAMP:20260803T142930Z
CREATED:20260803T142930Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T142930Z
UID:30000211-1741782000-1741786200@migration.org.za
SUMMARY:ACMS Seminar: 'From Deprivation to Mobilisation: Towards a Multideterminant Model of Xenophobic Violence in South Africa'
DESCRIPTION:Presenter: Dr Jean Pierre Misago\nDate: 12 March 2025\nTime: 12.20 – 13.30\nVenue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163\, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor)\, East Campus\, Wits University (directions)\nZoom: link\nPlease register: here \nAbstract:\nDrawing on extensive and comparative qualitative data from a nearly two-decade long and ongoing research\, this paper responds to inadequacies and limitations of current causal explanations for xenophobic violence in South Africa. It argues that existing explanations are inadequate as many lack empirical backing and others are incomplete due to their reductionist approach. To address these shortcomings\, this paper proposes an empirically based and theoretically informed multideterminant (explanatory) model\, which identifies and analyses the roles of – and interconnections between – six key determinants namely: i) socio-economic and political deprivation\, ii) xenophobic beliefs\, iii) collective discontent\, iv) political economy\, v) mobilization\, and vi) governance. The paper argues that i) these determinants and their interconnections in a value-added process constitute the necessary and sufficient conditions for the occurrence of xenophobic violence\, and ii) this multideterminant model consequently provides an adequate and comprehensive explanation of the xenophobic violence in South Africa. \nBio:\nDr Jean Pierre Misago is a Senior Researcher at the Africa Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at Wits University. His research interests include migration\, identity and belonging; xenophobia and related violence; as well as migration governance at different levels but particularly at local government and community level (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6964-3926). \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://migration.org.za/acms-event/acms-seminar-from-deprivation-to-mobilisation-towards-a-multideterminant-model-of-xenophobic-violence-in-south-africa/
LOCATION:ACMS Seminar Room 2163\, South East Wing\, Second Floor\, Solomon Mahlangu House\, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus
CATEGORIES:Seminar
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