Faculty of Humanities
School of Basic Social Sciences
Department of Political Sciences
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
The aim of this research project was to study the migration experiences of Asia and southern Africa under the themes of brain-drain migration, illegal migration, xenophobia, and the political and economic impact of such population movements on both sending and receiving states in Asia and southern Africa. Migration is often viewed as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, migration could be a positive force, as it creates subregional stability, alleviates poverty and contributes to the overall development of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). On the other hand, skilled migration (or the brain drain) could also have negative impacts (to varying degrees) on the development of national economies and the ability of governments to provide essential services to the poor. The importance of the nexus between migration and the economic wellbeing of economies makes SADC extremely vulnerable. The rationale for the capitalist global market is to attract those who possess superior skills and knowledge, whether they are from South Africa or Swaziland. The researchers found that although there is a lack of data on migration in the region, a preliminary cost-benefit analysis revealed that SADC members are losing skilled migrants at a huge cost. It is therefore argued that SADC members have to actively intervene in order to create conditions that would retain potential skilled migrants
Contact person: Prof MME Schoeman.
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