Browsing by Author "Umezurike, Samuel Augustine"

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    An analysis of the opinions of African immigrants on service delivery by the Department of Home Affairs, South Africa
    (University of Zululand, 2013-01) Umezurike, Samuel Augustine; Isike, Christopher
    This paper is an investigation into the views of African immigrants in South Africa on vital services that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) renders to immigrants, such as issuing work permits, study permits, permanent residence permits, marriage certificates, and conferring South African citizenship. The broad research question this paper deals with concerns how the ideology of ‘Makwerekwere’ influences the Department of Home Affairs’ service delivery to African immigrants. The views of 200 randomly sampled African immigrants based in Pretoria were used to analyse the effectiveness of the DHA in performing its duties as a government department. In so doing, the researchers profiled the immigrants and tried to unpack their views about the technical functions and competence of the department. The findings suggest that the service delivery rendered to African foreigners by the DHA is generally poor and discriminatory, as it is largely shaped by the popular ideology of ‘Makwerekwere’ within which African immigrants are imagined and treated as the out-group and excluded from belonging and the formal and informal benefits of citizenship. While making the point that ‘Makwerekwere” is not an official government policy, the paper recommends that the state has a role to play in not only reorienting its citizens, but also evolving a more inclusive model of belonging for African immigrants in South Africa in order to reduce inter-group anxiety.
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    Perceptions of African immigrants in Pretoria on service delivery in the Department of Home Affairs
    (2012) Umezurike, Samuel Augustine; Banjo, A.; Isike, C.
    This study claimed that largely for socio-political reasons as well as the general impact of globalization, information and communication technology, all synthesized as pull or push factors, migration has become a major phenomenon in Africa in the 21st century. Recent studies have also identified South Africa as a major destination for African immigrants since the end of apartheid. It is against this background that the study is aimed at investigating perceptions about African immigrants and attitudes towards them by the officials of the Department of Home Affairs, the official agency that is constitutionally mandated to handle immigrant affairs in South Africa. Theoretically, the study agreed with Neocosmos (2008) that several theories that seek to explain xenophobic attitudes and perceptions have not fully satisfied curiosity, especially regarding the behaviour of some officials. The study therefore turned to ‘Makwerekwere’ theory as propounded by Matsinhe in 2011. To achieve the above stated objective the study adopted both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, specifically the main data collection instrument of a questionnaire, sent to a sample of 300 Tshwane/Pretoria-based immigrants from six selected African countries. After rigorous data analysis, expressed in various tables and charts, the findings indicate that while Xenophobia is not South Africa’s official state policy, from the opinions of African immigrants and their experiences, some officials of the Department of Home Affairs have over time displayed negative attitudes towards African immigrants. In conclusion, the study suggests that corruption exists in the Department (in the views of African immigrants) and African immigrants feel that the government (state authority) has not attended to this phenomenon with the seriousness it requires.