On the move

The report examines the complex dynamics of migration in Southern Africa, highlighting the region's reliance on labour migration and the dominance of South Africa as a destination. It identifies a gap between aspirational regional integration goals and the reality of non-binding agreements and national protectionism. Key issues include the precarious nature of low-skilled work, the 'brain drain' of professionals, and the lack of social security portability for migrant workers.

• Migration in Southern Africa is primarily driven by employment opportunities and is characterised by diverse trajectories, including short-term border crossings, circular movements, and permanent stays.
• South Africa serves as the primary regional migration hub and is one of the top 20 migrant destinations globally, with the largest numbers of migrants originating from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho.
• There is a distinct segmentation in labour migration: highly skilled migrants often come from outside the region (particularly Kenya and Uganda) to fill roles in finance, education, and IT, while low-skilled migration follows traditional contract labour patterns to South Africa's agriculture, construction, and domestic sectors.
• Regional migration governance is hindered by a preference for bilateralism over multilateralism, with many SADC agreements remaining aspirational and non-binding rather than obligatory.
• The SADC Protocol on Free Movement of Persons has seen limited success, with only seven member states—Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia—having ratified it, falling short of the ten required for it to enter into force.
• Migrant workers face significant barriers to accessing social security benefits due to a lack of cross-border portability, with an estimated R10 billion in unpaid social security funds in South Africa.
• Informal cross-border trade (ICBT) is a vital economic activity in the region, accounting for 30-40% of total intra-regional SADC trade and providing critical income for women.
• The number of refugees and asylum seekers in Southern Africa more than doubled between 2013 and 2019, increasing from 640,000 to 1.3 million, with significant increases in the DRC and Tanzania due to Burundian refugees.
• Migration in the region remains male-dominated, although there is a trend toward the 'feminisation of migration' as more women migrate alone for informal trade or domestic work.

APA

Carciotto, S. (2020). On the move. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar42.pdf

Chicago

Carciotto, Sergio. On the move. Institute for Security Studies, 2020. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar42.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Carciotto |first1=Sergio |title=On the move |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=October 2020 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar42.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carciotto2020move, author = {Carciotto, Sergio}, title = {{On the move}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar42.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }