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  • ACMS Seminar: Managing the Transition – Adjusting Migration Policies to Respond to a World Undergoing Demographic Change

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenter: Dr Andrew Selee Date: Wednesday, 20 August 2025 Time: 12:30 – 13:45 Venue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/95786624514?pwd=53Oi1h6gHcWY2Q43O0p8ZqzOsOLZXp.1 Register: https://tinyurl.com/4zxkc7s8 Abstract: The 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. However, 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 […]

  • ACMS seminar: On the move — where does wellbeing fit?

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Date: Monday, 25 August 2025 Time: 10:00 – 11:30 Venue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/99337631783?pwd=gvLi3k7R74aLv3N9R2t4IY2NtMa4RP.1 Migration 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. SPEAKERS Ms Margaret Zulu – Project Manager, Save the Children, South Africa Dr Mwelwa Phiri – Researcher, Zambart, Zambia Dr Glynis Clacherty – Research Associate, ACMS, Wits University and Independent Consultant MODERATOR Dr Langelihle Mlotshwa- Researcher, ACMS, Wits University

  • ACMS Seminar: Home and Away – An Analysis of Out of Country Voting in South African Elections

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenter: Dr Catherine Musuva Date: Wednesday, 17 September 2025 Time: 12:30 – 13:45 Venue: ACMS Seminar Room: Room 2163, Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/95786624514?pwd=53Oi1h6gHcWY2Q43O0p8ZqzOsOLZXp.1 Register: https://tinyurl.com/4zxkc7s8 Abstract: This 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. About the researcher/presenter: Dr 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. […]

  • ACMS SEMINAR: Exclusionary Cohesion? Rethinking the Nexus between Social Cohesion and Xenophobic Violence in South Africa

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenter: Dr Jean Pierre Misago Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2026 Time: 12:30 – 13:45 Venue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163), Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514, Passcode: 012731 RSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za Abstract: Drawing 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 […]

  • ACMS SEMINAR: Fixed Systems, Mobile Lives

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenter: Dr Lucy Pearl Khofi Discussant: Professor Busisiwe Nkala-Dlamini (Wits University, Department of Social Work) Title: Fixed Systems, Mobile Lives: Structural Misalignment and the Negotiation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care among Mobile Adolescents and Young People in Johannesburg Date: Wednesday, 15 April 2026 Time: 12:30 – 13:30 Venue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163), Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514, Passcode: 012731 RSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za Abstract: South 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. This 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 […]

  • ACMS SEMINAR: The Adversity Grid – Beyond Epistemological Traps

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenter: Tanatswa Chineka Title: The Adversity Grid: Beyond Epistemological Traps in the Gendered Liminality of Unaccompanied Migrant Boys Respondent: Prof. Edmos Mtetwa (Department of Social Work, University of Zimbabwe)  Date: Wednesday, 13 May 2026 Time: 12:30 – 13:30 Venue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163), Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514, Passcode: 012731 RSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za Abstract: Unaccompanied 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 […]

  • ACMS SEMINAR: Growing Up Across Borders

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenters: Prof. Jane Freedman and Dr Aron Hagos Tesfai Title: Growing Up Across Borders Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2026 Time: 12:30 – 13:30 Venue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163), Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514, Passcode: 012731 RSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za Abstract: Growing 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. About the presenters: Prof. 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 […]

  • ACMS SEMINAR: Home Beyond Borders

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenter: Dr Lydia Moyo Title: Home Beyond Borders: Belonging and Identity among Zimbabwean Venda-Speaking Migrants in South Africa Discussant: Dr Paddington Mutekwe Date: Wednesday, 27 May 2026 Time: 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT+2) Venue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163), Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514, Passcode: 012731 RSVP: Email ntokozo.yingwana@wits.ac.za Abstract: This 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. About the researcher/presenter: Lydia Moyo is a […]

  • ACMS SEMINAR: Hearing the City

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    Presenter: Dr Brian Murahwa Title: Hearing the City: Pentecostalism, Urban Soundscapes and the Politics of Audibility in Johannesburg's Inner City Discussant: Carina Tenewaa Kanbi Date: Wednesday, 17 June 2026 Time: 12:30 – 13:30 (GMT+2) Venue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163), Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/3dwkccpp, Meeting ID: 957 8662 4514, Passcode: 012731 RSVP: Email Jaclyn.Modise@wits.ac.za Abstract: This 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 […]

  • ACMS SEMINAR: Why the Urban Matters in Understanding the Health of Migrants

    ACMS Seminar Room 2163, South East Wing, Second Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House, University of the Witwatersrand East Campus

    SEMINAR: Why the Urban Matters in Understanding the Health of Migrants: Insights from a Border Space between South Africa and Zimbabwe Venue: ACMS Seminar Room (2163), Solomon Mahlangu House (2nd floor), East Campus, Wits University (directions) Zoom link: https://wits-za.zoom.us/j/96044551994?pwd=yYEIcJb9Y6LmftslUALYZdwwan928m.1 , Meeting ID: 96044551994, Passcode: e*-A@32O0s Dr. 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. Drawing 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. Abstract: 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, […]