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

Abstract

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.