Towards a more constructive analysis of forced migration : the case of Zimbabwean migrants in Zambia

The instability risk in Zambia is emphasized by the risk of increase in crime, the cities already overpopulated are facing a real security challenge, where Zimbabwean migrants are sometimes perceived as a vehicle of local violence. Prostitution is also becoming a major problem for the main cities. Indeed, an important number of Zimbabwean women are reported to work as commercial sex workers, especially in Livingstone and Lusaka. BBC news reported a number of «300 Zimbabwean women working in prostitution in the Zambian border town of Livingstone» and, according to Livingstone town clerk George Kalenga, «Zimbabwean sex workers offered lower rates than their Zambian counterparts13(*)». This problem is rather important, in the fact that prostitution contributes to the spread of HIV and AIDS. Displaced population, such as forced migrants, are at higher risk to contract the virus during and after displacement, «due to factors of poverty, disruption of family/social structures and health services, increase in sexual violence, and increase in socio-economic vulnerability (particularly of women and children)» (UNAIDS statistics).

According to UNAIDS, almost 60% of Zimbabwean adults living with HIV and AIDS at the end of 2006 were female. As far as young people are concerned, women represent around 77% of people between the ages of 15 and 24 living with HIV and AIDS. Zimbabweans migrants, and especially women, are more vulnerable to diseases, and sexually-transmitted diseases in particular, coming from a country where HIV and AIDS rates are high, especially among women. In Zambia, the situation is not far better. Although Zambia seems already burdened with the effects of the HIV and AIDS pandemic (HIV and AIDS prevalence rate among adults is around 17%, UNAIDS), forced migration of Zimbabweans may further exacerbate this situation. The Zimbabwean women often survived by street vending, begging and working in the sex industry, but earlier this year the Zambian government decided to ban street vending in Lusaka, leaving sex work as the only option available to many women.

Facing all the difficulties former described, the Zimbabweans have been forced to find strategies to adapt themselves to their problematic situation. To a certain extent, grouping of migrants in certain areas and the strong will to support themselves instead of depending on relatives or international organizations' assistance enabled Zimbabwean migrants to get out from this difficult situation. Thanks to this strategy, migrants have formed close communities within specific geographical areas and have engaged in work activities. By doing so, they can bring benefits for the country hosting them, Zambia.

While it appears that the largest concentrations of Zimbabweans can be found in Lusaka, Livingstone, Chirundu andSiavonga, reports were made to Refugees International that many Zimbabweans are working in the Copperbelt as well. The region mainly produces copper and cobalt, and demands an important workforce. As most Zimbabweans are rather young (old people preferring to remain in Zimbabwe), a vast majority of them are able to work, especially for harsh works, such as mining or construction labour. Other jobs, such as agricultural labour and works in labour-intensive manufacturing also represent a means for forced migrants to earn some money, preferring finance autonomy to food dependency. This population represents a cheap workforce for Zambia firms which are not meant to pay them as much as the Zambian workers, for most Zimbabweans working remain illegal in Zambia.

The whole country may benefit from this cheap workforce as it enables an increase in production, leading to an increase in exports and economic growth for Zambia. Zimbabweans in Zambia, even if not paid or rather poor, will nevertheless have to buy food and basic goods, which can contribute to the Zambia economy, even though it will not be at a large scale. It is important to remind that the conditions in which these Zimbabweans workers are working and leaving are usually terrible, and there is an urgent need of the Zambian government to recognize the particular status of Zimbabwean migrants, as this would contribute to an improved quality of life for them.

It is true that the vast majority of Zimbabweans coming to Zambia are rather poor, but there are also qualified and quite wealthy Zimbabweans who have come to this country, even if most of them, if the opportunity appeared, have fled to richer country such as the United Kingdom, the United States or South Africa. However, it has been reported that a certain number of qualified people, especially owners of Zimbabwean companies, have entered Zambia and remained there. This brain drain, dramatically impacting on Zimbabwe, can be seen as an opportunity for Zambia, which clearly benefits from receiving qualified and skilled migrants from Zimbabwe. Qualified Zimbabweans such as street traders, farmers, investors and professionals have now settled in Zambia^14(*).

Zimbabwean companies are now implemented in Zambia and they participated in the creation of employment for Zambians, even if these companies tend to employ mostly Zimbabweans, they can, to a certain extend, contribute to the economy and development of Zambia. According to the state-run Zambia Investment Centre (ZIC), Zimbabweans have made business commitments worth more than US$ 73 million since 2002, creating almost 10,000 jobs^15(*). «Between January 2002 and 2008, the ZIC issued 78 investment licenses to Zimbabweans in various sectors. Of these, over 50 were in the agricultural sector, covering machinery supply, horticulture and the production of tobacco, maize and wheat. Others have invested in manufacturing, construction, health, services, tourism and transport»^16(*). Zambia has proved to be an attractive investment to Zimbabweans because of the government's emphasis on private-sector participation in the economy.

Zimbabwean farmers, who lost their land and farm after the destructive land reform policy led by Mugabe's government, have fled to Zambia. Songowayo Zyambo, Executive Director of the Zambia National Farmers' Union, said that more than 120 former Zimbabwean commercial farmers were members of the organisation. According to him, "They are contributing greatly to Zambia's improved agricultural production by cultivating huge hectares of the land that was just lying idle in the past^17(*)". The arrival of Zimbabwean farmers contributed to boost agriculture production. Zimbabwean farmers are mainly White farmers, who were the main target of the land reform in Zimbabwe, brought their financial means to Zambia, and helped to develop Zambian agriculture. These farmers create jobs for rural Zambians, the poorest part of the Zambian population. Sydney Chileshe, Chief Executive of the Zambia Export Growers Association, declared that "These Zimbabwean white farmers have employed a lot of local workers - some have over 400 workers, which is why we are seeing an influx of people from other parts of the country coming to seek employment here. Our standards of living have tremendously improved ever since they settled here^18(*)".

The flow of labour and economic capital has social consequences, as it brings new ideas and skills to enhance Zambian economy, but it has impacts on the Zimbabwean economy as well. The benefits Zambia receives from Zimbabwean migrants may be limited. The money earned by qualified and highly skilled workers, and also those of manual workers, may not be totally spent in Zambia, but, considering the dramatic situation in Zimbabwe, rather be sent to Zimbabwe in the form of remittances. Consequently the income which would ordinarily be spent in Zambia would, in reality, be invested in the Zimbabwean economy. Zimbabwean workers in Zambia, but also cross-borders traders between Zambia and Zimbabwe, are influencing Zimbabwe economy.

d. Zimbabwean migrants' direct constructive impacts on Zimbabwe

In the case of Zimbabwe, migration is of forced nature, but Zimbabweans have been able to adapt themselves to the harsh situation they faced when arriving in Zambia, and managed, for some of them, to find a job and earn money. This livelihood strategy enabling Zimbabweans to find employment allowed them to earn enough money to send remittances to help the survival of family and friends in Zimbabwe. Remittances may be defined as the transfer of money by migrant workers to their home country. It is rather difficult to establish the precise contribution of remittances since such funds are frequently sent through informal and private channels, and also since the number of Zimbabweans in Zambia are unknown.

However, some evidence collected after interviews with people working in banks, for instance, indicate that remittances sent to Zimbabwe show that these cash transfers are occurring on a massive scale (Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, July 2007).

In the situation of Zimbabwe where hyperinflation, parallel exchange rates far higher than official rates and over-unemployment are current consequences of a very declining economy, remittances have become even more crucial for Zimbabweans remaining in Zimbabwe. At household level, but also at local and national levels, remittances have the potential to contribute significantly to the survival of Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe. At the household level, remittances can help reduce the poverty of those receiving them, either in being a supplement to their income or provide them with funds they were unable to get in Zimbabwe. The funds can afterwards be used for consumption goods or savings. At a larger scale, remittances also provide a source of foreign exchange, in a country where the Zimbabwean dollar does not worth something anymore.

In 2007, Zimbabweans abroad sent home US$ 361 million excluding hand-in-hand transfers, representing 7,2% of the country's 2006 GDP, according to data compiled by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

It is important to emphasize that it is not only the economic remittances, but also the transfer of knowledge, skills and innovations that can play a major role in the (re)construction of Zimbabwe. Indeed, Zimbabwean migrants contribute to their home country development in both financial (mostly remittances, but also cross-borders trading) and non-financial ways. In a certain way, remittances network is «sponsoring» social change through its important work of social survival. Zimbabwean migrants also have a social and political role to play, when being abroad, for they can experience a political, social and cultural environment, different to Zimbabwe, and afterwards, export new ideas to support democratization and the protection of human rights in Zimbabwe. For instance, the situation in Zimbabwe led many women to take on roles as cross-border traders to support their families and at the same time learning new skills. Moreover, women both send remittances as migrants, and usually receive them as heads of households.

The social implications of these different roles for women's economic and social status is still not much studied, but it appears clearly that such a trend could be of future benefit as it diversifies gender roles and empowers women, which has social benefits in itself.

* ¹³ www.newzimbabwe.com

* ¹⁴ http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=59180

* ¹⁵ http://www.afrol.com/articles/19546

* ¹⁶ http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=59180

* ¹⁷ Ibid.

* ¹⁸ http://www.afrol.com/articles/19546