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Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613791961743360 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Steppe, Tamina |
| author2 | Eigelaar-Meets, Ilse |
| author_browse | Eigelaar-Meets, Ilse Steppe, Tamina |
| author_facet | Eigelaar-Meets, Ilse Steppe, Tamina |
| author_sort | Steppe, Tamina |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134829 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:46.341Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134829 Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa Steppe, Tamina Eigelaar-Meets, Ilse Lester, Claire Anne Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Women migrants -- South Africa -- Cape Town Africans -- South Africa -- Cape Town -- Social conditions Social integration -- South Africa -- Cape Town Belonging (Social psychology) -- South Africa Cape Town (South Africa) -- Emigration and immigration UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Steppe, T. 2025. Negotiating Livelihood and Belonging: A Study of African Migrant Women in Cape Town, South Africa. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/28dd0ce1-bbae-4bff-ae5f-cb211ab251d9 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: African migrants often embark on journeys to escape violence, deprivation, and instability in their home countries, seeking refuge and opportunity in host nations. However, upon arriving, many faces new forms of violence and exclusion that echo the very struggles they sought to escape. African migrant women specifically are met with a double burden of facing the exclusion, violence and discrimination, elicited through the intersection of gender, class and the foreigner identity. This thesis examines how African migrant women negotiate livelihood and belonging in Cape Town, South Africa, amidst the constraints imposed by state policies, institutional structures, and societal attitudes. The research draws on qualitative data, collected through in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion with African migrant women, including both those affiliated with the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town and those unaffiliated. This thesis argues that the legacies of colonialism and apartheid continue to shape contemporary migration dynamics in South Africa, leading to the exclusion and marginalisation of African migrants, rooted in these historical patterns of racialised migration control. These enduring legacies manifest in restrictive immigration policies and systemic barriers that disproportionately affect African migrants compared to other groups living in South Africa. These policies, steeped in a history of segregation and discrimination, reinforce the marginalisation of African migrants and sustain an environment where they are rendered as perpetual outsiders. Central to this analysis is the role of xenophobia, both overt and covert, in shaping migrant women’s realities. Extraordinary acts of violence and the everyday microaggressions of exclusion coalesce to create a precarious and hostile environment, forcing migrant women to constantly navigate between visibility and invisibility. A critical finding of the study reveals that access to documentation is crucial for migrant women’s ability to create sustainable livelihoods. However, bureaucratic inefficiencies and institutional practices often create significant barriers for migrant women, limiting their opportunities and reinforcing their exclusion. Despite these systemic challenges, this thesis highlights the resilience and agency of African migrant women as they navigate their precarious circumstances. Through adaptive strategies, they leverage various forms of social, human, and economic capital to carve out spaces of belonging and economic participation. The thesis concludes by calling for transformative policy reforms to address the structural inequalities faced by African migrant women. It advocates for a more inclusive and equitable migration governance framework that recognises the rights, dignity, and contributions of all those who reside in South Africa. By centring the voices of migrant women, this study not only sheds light on their struggles but also highlights their capacity to utilise and forge resources in a context of significant marginalisation. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar nie. Masters 2026-01-09T14:00:22Z 2026-01-09T14:00:22Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134829 Stellenbosch University 144 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Women migrants -- South Africa -- Cape Town Africans -- South Africa -- Cape Town -- Social conditions Social integration -- South Africa -- Cape Town Belonging (Social psychology) -- South Africa Cape Town (South Africa) -- Emigration and immigration UCTD Steppe, Tamina Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa |
| title | Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_full | Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_short | Negotiating livelihood and belonging: a study of African migrant women in Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_sort | negotiating livelihood and belonging a study of african migrant women in cape town south africa |
| topic | Women migrants -- South Africa -- Cape Town Africans -- South Africa -- Cape Town -- Social conditions Social integration -- South Africa -- Cape Town Belonging (Social psychology) -- South Africa Cape Town (South Africa) -- Emigration and immigration UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134829 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT steppetamina negotiatinglivelihoodandbelongingastudyofafricanmigrantwomenincapetownsouthafrica |