“We Are Working Hand to Mouth”: Zimbabwean Teachers’ Experiences of Vulnerability in South Africa

Manik, Sadhana

doi:10.11567/met.30.2.3

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Hence, de Villiers and Weda (2018) argue that Zimbabwean migrant teachers need support to overcome difficulties in South Africa. The studies also suggest that the vulnerability of Zimbabwean migrant teachers in South Africa has a negative impact on their professional lives (Manik 2014;Tarisayi and Manik, 2020). The findings of these studies suggest that South Africa is a minefield for Zimbabwean migrant teachers as they navigate the numerous challenges lurking underneath.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Hanging On by a Thread: The Case of Migrant Teachers Holding Zimbabwean Exemption Permits in South Africa

Tarisayi

2022

MET

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper drew from a qualitative study on the experiences of Zimbabwean migrant teachers in South Africa. Using the interpretivist paradigm, the author interrogates the experiences of Zimbabwean migrant teachers who hold the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit. The author relies on the theory of migration by seminal scholar Everett Lee for a theoretical lens. The study was carried out within the context of respite1 for Zimbabwe Exemption Permits holders. The respite for Zimbabwe Exemption Permit holders was to terminate on 31 December 2022. Narrative interviews were carried out with ten purposively selected participants. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study suggested that Zimbabwean migrant teachers were struggling to transfer to mainstream visas after the non-extension of the special visas they were holding (critical skill visas, general work visas). Due to these struggles, there was a shared view among the participants that after 31 December 2022 they would become undocumented. This was expected to change the lives of previously documented migrants. The impending fate of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit holders led to the conclusion that their lives were hanging on by a thread. The author recommends that the fate of the documentation for Zimbabwean migrant teachers in South Africa be reassessed in terms of permanent residency status.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Essentially, private colleges were viewed as exploitative of migrant teachers who were in a desperate position. In addition, a study by Manik (2014) noted a lack of job security for Zimbabwean migrant teachers in South African schools. The above studies established that Zimbabwean migrant teachers were in unfair employment contracts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hanging On by a Thread: The Case of Migrant Teachers Holding Zimbabwean Exemption Permits in South Africa

Tarisayi

2022

MET

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This sample worried that for years they had been paid below the poverty datum line, leading to unhappiness over their wellbeing experiences that pushed some teachers into selfemployment, private education teaching or work in the diaspora (Manik, 2014;Penson & Yonemura, 2012). That stage of withdrawal started with poor student learning due to teacher absenteeism and poor preparation because of, among other reasons, teachers' low pay (World Bank, undated).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Labour Relations Among Zimbabwean Teachers: Wellbeing and the Challenges of Professionalism

Mabhoyi¹

2020

IJoTE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study investigates teachers' views on the quality of their wellbeing through analysis of teacher narratives in relation to salaries as reflected by teachers' community standing and access to daily essentials. Through snowballing, seventeen participants were identified from the current and the recently resigned. The teachers answered researcher-led open-ended questions. The researcher recorded individual narratives and used these in textual analysis to establish teachers' experiences and perceptions of their wellbeing. The results of this limited study confirm that the sampled Zimbabwean teachers are underpaid, unhappy with their salaries causing teachers to worry about their wellbeing in this economically struggling Sub-Saharan state.

show abstract

“…We note that some of the Zimbabwean teachers in South Africa face challenges in refining their skills and in acquiring more experience in the teaching field because an estimated 47% of them have been forced to seek employment in other sectors outside education (Crush, Chikanda and Tawodzera 2012, 19), where they are likely to suffer de-skilling. In addition, the Zimbabwean migrant teachers who are employed as teachers in South Africa are finding it difficult to ascend to positions of leadership within schools (Manik 2014;Ranchod 2005) and thus miss out on a chance to hone their leadership skills. The short contracts under which most of them are employed are disruptive to the process of acquiring experience, and ascending to leadership positions.…”

Section: Zimbabwean Teachers In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Partial and Virtual Return: the Willingness of Migrant Zimbabwean Teachers in South Africa to Participate in Skills Transfer

Weda

Villiers

2020

Int. Migration & Integration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With an estimated 40 000 migrant Zimbabwean teachers in neighbouring South Africa, the question of tapping into their skills for the development of their country hinges on their willingness to participate. This study sought to understand the disposition of the resident migrant Zimbabwean teachers in South Africa to participate in a skills transfer programme through partial and virtual return. The study established that all the participants would be willing to volunteer to contribute to the development of their patria through partial and virtual return, and that some of them were already engaged in some voluntary developmental work in certain communities. However, a lack of time and a stifling political environment were cited as the major challenges to their possible participation.

show abstract

“We Are Working Hand to Mouth”: Zimbabwean Teachers’ Experiences of Vulnerability in South Africa

Cited by 9 publications

References 8 publications

Hanging On by a Thread: The Case of Migrant Teachers Holding Zimbabwean Exemption Permits in South Africa

Hanging On by a Thread: The Case of Migrant Teachers Holding Zimbabwean Exemption Permits in South Africa

Labour Relations Among Zimbabwean Teachers: Wellbeing and the Challenges of Professionalism

Partial and Virtual Return: the Willingness of Migrant Zimbabwean Teachers in South Africa to Participate in Skills Transfer

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About