An investigation of the vulnerabilities of undocumented Zimbabwean migrants in Cape Town during the Covid-19 pandemic
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Date
2023
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
The COVID-19 epidemic has been a devastating global health catastrophe, and the ensuing
lockdowns and limitations have exacerbated numerous inequities along racial, ethnic, class,
and gender lines. Recent studies have shown that undocumented migrants, refugees, and
asylum seekers have been further affected, due to policy responses that mostly exclude them
from targeted COVID-19 mitigation efforts aimed toward citizen support. As the South African
government has provided some measures to ameliorate the negative economic and social
impacts of the pandemic and lockdown on its population, undocumented Zimbabwean migrants
on temporary contracts in sectors such as construction, tourism and hospitality have been
continuously placed on leave, have reduced hours or have altogether lost their jobs. However,
most have not been eligible for government social benefits that have been put in place to
mitigate against the negative economic impacts of the pandemic.
Description
Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)
Keywords
Immigrants, Covid-19, Public health, Zimbabwe, Cape Town, Employment