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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The Effects of Restrictive South African Migrant Labor Policy on the Survival of Rural Households in Southern Africa: A Case Study from Rural Swaziland
Author:Leliveld, AndréISNI
Year:1997
Periodical:World Development
Volume:25
Issue:11
Period:November
Pages:1839-1849
Language:English
Geographic terms:South Africa
Swaziland - Eswatini
Subjects:labour migration
labour law
rural households
Labor and Employment
Inter-African Relations
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Urbanization and Migration
Economics and Trade
External link:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(97)00070-3
Abstract:Confronted with high unemployment figures and widespread poverty among the black population, one of the priorities of the first postapartheid government of South Africa has been to combat poverty among its population by enlarging employment opportunities. It is generally accepted that this policy will have a large impact on the number of foreigners called to work in South Africa. By taking Swaziland, where data were collected in 1990, as a case study, this article investigates the impact on the capacity of Swazi rural households to survive, if the possibility for international labour migration should become constrained. The paper first investigates whether common socioeconomic characteristics can be identified among homesteads whose survival is threatened. Next, it investigates the possibilities and constraints for returning migrants to find employment in Swaziland. In the final section, conclusions are presented on the prospects of Swazi rural households to survive without migrant labour to South Africa. The main finding is that in the short run relatively 'young' households, with few working members and a weak economic position in the local rural economy, are among the most vulnerable. In the long run the survival of most Swazi households with migrants in South Africa is at stake. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum.
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