Even though most internal migration is financially motivated, the study found that migrant households are generally poor, but typically not amongst the poorest households. A migrant household is a household which reports at least one non-resident member. Internal migration, including temporary migration and permanent migration, is increasing. Internal migration, referred to in the report, refers to migration from one place to another within the same magisterial district. This is mainly because of the increase in the number of female migrants relocating for work or in search of work.

Remittances are the major source of income for migrant households, even though members of such households are likely to occupy low paying jobs. A migrant worker is someone who is absent from home for more than a month each year to work or to seek work. Migrant workers are mostly employed in agriculture, domestic work, or informal work. Migrant households also have a higher number of unemployed members than non-migrant households.

The level of highest qualification is also a determinant of the standard of living of migrant workers. Most of them, some 57.1%, have some secondary education or matric. These people often find minimum-wage employment, and are not likely to have access to formal housing. Migrants from poor areas tend to live in shacks in informal settlements. The report shows that migrants with no schooling are less likely to occupy formal housing, and more likely to live in hostels or informal settlements, than migrants with some schooling.

Research in Sub-Saharan Africa and KwaZulu-Natal suggests that there is a strong correlation between individual migrant status and HIV infection, i.e. migrants show higher HIV infection rates than non-migrants.

Furthermore, migrant households are often larger than non-migrant households. With low income levels, large families, and higher risk of HIV infection, migrant households generally experience a lower standard of living than non-migrant households. The KwaZulu-Natal Income Dynamics Study (KIDS) showed that more than two-thirds of migrant households were poor as opposed to non-migrant households which had a 47% poverty rate.

While the pursuit of improved standards of living is the main reason for migrating, migrant households do not always achieve the desired result. With uncertain employment opportunities for poor migrant workers with lower levels of education, the chances of a significantly improving quality of life for migrant families are slim.

Urbanisation was a key challenge noted at the first two Major Urban Poverty Challenges Identification (MUPCI) workshops at the City of Tshwane and the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipalities. Most migrants in Tshwane were said to be from neighbouring Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West provinces. In Cape Town, most migrants were said to be from neighbouring towns, as well as from the Eastern Cape. It was noted that the influx of people into these cities poses capacity challenges with regard to service delivery.

The remaining six MUPCI workshops will take place during July and August 2009, and the remaining municipalities will have the opportunity to highlight the key poverty concerns in their areas.

The municipal outreach project aims to provide extensive research, such as that used in the above analysis, to municipalities covered by the Municipal Outreach Project. This will be done by means of publications, the project website, and workshops. A monthly publication called Fast Facts for Local Government (F3LG) is sent to local councillors, officials, and development organisations in the eight municipalities covered by the project. A weekly newsletter is posted on the project website on Fridays, and e-mailed to project beneficiaries. The annual Survey, published by the Institute, will be posted to municipalities and extracts posted on the project website.

-Nthamaga Kgafela