Abstract
Zimbabwean migration into South Africa has been extensively researched, where the bulk of the studies focused much on the larger ethnicities, such as the Shona and the Ndebele speakers, while minor ethnicities are side-lined or are referred to as the other. Therefore, this study seeks to address the scholarly gap by exploring the integration experiences of the Zimbabwean Venda migrants residing in the cosmopolitan society of Pretoria, South Africa. The study frames Zimbabwean Venda migrants in South Africa as a minority group of insiders since the Venda language is spoken in both Zimbabwe and South Africa and, on the other hand, as outsiders because of their foreign identity. The study combines Bourdieu's capital theory (1986), which involves four forms of capital: social, cultural, economic, and symbolic, with Granovetter's (1973) strong and weak ties, which emphasises the importance of social networks. These theories emphasise the crucial role played by networks in enhancing the integration of migrants into their destination countries. Guided by a qualitative interpretivist methodological approach, the study examined the integration experiences of Zimbabwean Venda migrants into different ethnic groups in Pretoria's local communities. The interpretivist approach was selected due to its ability to provide in-depth insights into the participants' meanings and conceptions. The research sites covered three townships: Mamelodi, Atteridgeville (the oldest and largest townships in Pretoria), and Olievenhoutbosch; and these townships were specifically chosen due to high incidence of xenophobia in recent years. Furthermore, they were deemed appropriate for this study as Zimbabwean migrants are widely dispersed throughout South African communities. The purposive sampling technique facilitated the identification, recruitment, and selection of 30 Zimbabwean Venda migrants who were considered to possess relevant characteristics and were regarded as information-rich cases for the study. Data were collected from a few initial participants from my social circles and networks such as the church. Thereafter, through snowball sampling, these participants assisted in locating others until the desired sample size was achieved. The findings of this study revealed that Zimbabwean Venda migrants were able to integrate more effectively within their communities using the commonalities in the Venda language. Although the participants, in some instances, ‘camouflaged’ their Venda identity to forge belonging in their destination country, it was indicated that documentation continues to be a pivotal element in the process of integrating migrants. Thus, in addition to language, Zimbabwean Venda migrants employed other strategies to establish a sense of belonging, particularly by leveraging diverse networks such as familial, religious, savings groups, and social organisations. The findings revealed that Zimbabwean Venda migrants, like all migrants, require support to survive in their host communities such that capital and social networks emerged as crucial resources for facilitating their migration and integration. The use of technology in the integration process also provided the participants with a digital bridge through which they connected with their loved ones back home. Communication networks such as WhatsApp enabled migrants to establish an immediate connection thereby mitigating their disembodied lives, evident in how the migrants are caught between two worlds – Zimbabwe and South Africa. Thus, instant communication facilitated by the digital bridge helped migrants forge a sense of belonging and the feeling of homeliness, albeit temporarily. The study concluded that various factors, such as food and music as serve as constant reminders of home for migrants and impact their integration. For instance, music, referred to in this thesis as “rhythms of belonging”, is a constant source of nostalgia for most migrants that exposes the complexities of integration within their host communities. The study recommends that the South African government and/or the Department of Home Affairs should create a conducive environment that ensures that migrants who are legally in the country remain properly documented because, beyond commonalities in language, ethnicity and identity, effective documentation plays a pivotal role in facilitating the seamless integration of migrants into their host communities.