Life as a Stranger: Experiences of Labor Migrants from Lesotho

Malilimala  Moletsane; Jan K. Coetzee; Asta Rau

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.13.1.05

Authors

Malilimala Moletsane University of the Free State, South Africa
Jan K. Coetzee University of the Free State, South Africa
Asta Rau University of the Free State, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.13.1.05

Keywords:

Labor Migrants, Migrant Experiences in South Africa, Sense of Belonging, Marginalization, Insecurity, Exclusion

Abstract

Drawing on in-depth interviews with nine Basotho labor migrants in Bloemfontein, this article examines their experiences of being a stranger by exploring their accounts of everyday life. Literature on migration studies confirms that migrants face numerous challenges in destination areas, and South Africa is no exception in this regard. The major concerns expressed by the research participants are harassment by the police, hostility from the local citizens, poor living conditions, exploitation by employers, the language barrier, and difficulty in accessing public services. This article argues that these constraints make it difficult for migrants to establish a sense of belonging. Instead, they have a sense of being outsiders and strangers in Bloemfontein.

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Author Biographies

Malilimala Moletsane, University of the Free State, South Africa

‘Malilimala Moletsane obtained her Master’s degree in the program The Narrative Study of Lives, Department of Sociology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Jan K. Coetzee, University of the Free State, South Africa

Jan K. Coetzee is a Senior Professor of Sociology and Director of the program The Narrative Study of Lives in the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. He specializes in qualitative sociology and serves on several international advisory boards.

Asta Rau, University of the Free State, South Africa

Asta Rau is the Director of the Centre for Health Systems Research & Development at the University of the Free State, South Africa. She works in qualitative research and is currently leading a project in partnership with the University of Antwerp on perceptions of stigma among healthcare workers.

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