Document Type

Hungry Cities Research Briefs

Publication Date

1-2025

Abstract

South African towns and cities are common destinations for migrants from other African countries because of the employment prospects, economic opportunities, family and social networks, access to education and health care, relatively peaceful conditions, and political stability (Sithole, 2023; Sithole et al., 2024a). However, vulnerable migrants have long grappled with deep-rooted challenges such as unstable employment, low income, exploitation, discrimination, exclusion, xenophobia, hostility, harassment, restrictive immigration policies and limited access to essential services such as health care, education, and other social support systems, all of which aggravate their food insecurity (Crush & Sithole, 2024a, 2024b). Poor food access for migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers in South Africa is a serious concern in the context of the high cost of living, poverty, inequality, unemployment, irregular incomes, and the absence of social safety nets.

In the last decade, there have been a few studies exploring the links between migration and urban food security in South Africa (Crush & Tawodzera, 2017; Sithole & Dinbabo, 2016). However, the intersections between migration, urban food insecurity, and the COVID-19 pandemic are under-researched. The pandemic greatly intensified pre-pandemic economic challenges, significantly impacting vulnerable populations, including impoverished households and migrants. The pandemic health crisis precipitated widespread economic disruption characterised by layoffs, job losses, reduced working hours, and heightened income instability. Combined with stringent public health lockdown measures and mobility restrictions, these factors aggravated pre-pandemic systemic inequalities, precarity, and food insecurity experienced by migrant communities in South Africa (Crush & Ramachandran, 2024; Tawodzera & Crush, 2022).

This research brief examines how the vulnerable circumstances and precarious conditions of African migrants in South Africa were exacerbated during the pandemic. The study is based on data from a survey of 844 migrants and refugees and 32 in-depth interviews conducted in 2023 in Cape Town. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were utilised to identify migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees from three countries: Zimbabwe, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The findings presented here underscore the urgent need for more research and policy attention to understanding food access and economic issues of migrants in the setting of pandemic and other precarious circumstances.

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