CHAPTER 7: AFRICAN MIGRANTS’ NETWORKS WITH SOUTH AFRICANS
7.6. Spaces of interaction
7.6.6. Most important South African tie
Figure 7.10: Categories of most important South African tie
The migrants were asked to identify their most important South African tie and explain the nature of this relationship. Name-generator questions were used to explore the migrants’
personal networks and the characteristics of the ties; measure for reciprocity with their alters;
and determine their perceptions of African migration. The most important ties are in four categories as shown in the figure above. The findings show that the respondents’ most important relationships were all state ties. These include relationships with spouses/partners, friends, work colleagues and clergy. Seven (19%) of the migrants identified their most important South African ties as those with their spouses/partners. This group was made up of four middle class and three working class males. For example, Osayi, a middle class migrant married to a South African says that,
My wife is the closest to me. She is my backbone. Yes I am successful today but she is the main reason. Not just because she legitimised my stay but because she has been a friend and comfort to me. My business thrives because of her support (Interviewed 29/08/14).
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Spouse/Pa rtners
Friends Work Colleagues
Clergymen
working class female 0 5 1 3
working class male 3 1 0 2
middle class female 0 4 3 1
middle class male 4 3 2 0
number of migrants
149
Asked why these ties were the most important, the migrants responded that they gain financial and affective support from their spouses.
As Figure 7.10 shows, 13 (36%) migrants stated that their most important ties were with friends. They comprised three middle class males, four middle class females, one working class male and five working class females. It was found that these were mostly affective relationships and the kinds of support gained were generally advice, affection and financial assistance. According to Joan a working class female migrant,
My best friend Lian is the most important South African relationship. We have been friends for over five years. She helps me financially and gives me marital advice… Being different has not ruined our friendship. We are not so different sef [pidgin English word which means in truth]… We are all Africans. There is no difference between Zulus and us. When you get to know the cultures you would see the similarity (Interviewed 10/08/14).
The findings show that friendship ties between migrants and members of the host community were instrumental in bridging social differences and creating a sense of homogeneity due to acculturation, as seen in the case of Joan. Facchini et al (2015: 621) state that “friendship with natives tends to result in greater similarity with them along several important dimensions.” Migrants who have friendship ties with South Africans not only integrate, but also demonstrate the dissolution of cultural boundaries due to the presence of this type of tie in their networks. This is the case because these friendships give “opportunities for better reciprocal knowledge and brings migrants and natives closer allowing the exchanges of socio-cultural codes, practices, languages, etc. It can also reduce mutual prejudice…” (Gsir 2014). The females had more friendship ties as their most important tie than the males. This is consistent with Miguel and Tranmer’s (2009) argument that female migrants are more disposed to have host members within their personal networks due to the kinds of activities they engage in and the people they meet through such activities.
The other most important relationships identified in the study were ties with South African work colleagues. Work places are known spaces which foster interaction and the formation of ties between migrants and host members. In the middle class group, five (13%) migrants,
150
comprising of two males and three females, stated that their most important relationship was with work colleagues. One (3%) female (Remi) from the working class group identified her boss as her most important relationship. According to her,
My boss is my most important relationship. She is responsible for my success.
I am able to work and feed my family because of the role she played in my employment. She fought for me to be employed. I value her though we are not very friendly, just business as usual, but I owe her a lot. She made my stay possible (Interviewed 09/07/14).
The respondents were asked why this tie was important and most responded that it was because of the affective, informative and material forms of support that they gained. As in Remi’s case, this tie was not always friendly but this did not necessarily imply that it was a weak tie because of the support gained from this social capital.
Finally, some of the respondents identified their ties with their clergy as their most important relationship. This group consisted of six (17%) of the respondents, including one middle class female, three working class females and two working class males. These respondents described these relationships as informal and supportive. Omo who identified her pastor as her most important relationship explains that,
…I would say my pastor. She is important because she assists me financially.
For instance she paid for my accommodation until I could stand on my feet.
She calls me and advises me. If she has any menial jobs I do them and she pays me. So she is the important one (Interviewed 14/08/14).
However four (11%) migrants stated that they did not have any most important South African within their personal networks. They included one middle class female and three working class males. This does not imply that they do not have ties with South Africans, but that they do not attach great importance to them. Three of these respondents said that this is due to the fact that South Africans are not friendly towards them and one stated that she mixes more with other Nigerian migrants and tries to avoid South Africans as much as possible. Asked why this was the case, Ifeanyi, a working class male stated that,
151
South Africans are very different sets of human beings. They do not have value for life. Humans are like animals to them. There are things they do that are culturally unacceptable in our place. Their women are so loose… Even married women do not fear their matrimony, and sleep around. I don’t need such people around me and my children (Interviewed 03/09/14).
This group of migrants experience exclusion, not only as a response by members of the host community but as a self-imposed strategy due to their various stereotypes of South Africans, as shown in Ifeanyi’s response. For them, the negative culture of South Africans must be avoided by staying separate from them, especially at the level of developing state type of ties.
Berry (2005: 705) explains that in this situation, “individuals place a value on holding on to their original culture, and at the same time wish to avoid interaction with others.” He explains that “individuals may withdraw from the acculturation arena” in order to do away with differences that are unacceptable to them (Berry 2005: 708). As seen in other cases, contact here also fuelled exclusion and the demarcation of the in-group and out-group. This was due to the fact that, as in Ifeanyi’s case, the contact was not characterized by equal status. Ifeanyi held stereotypes of South Africans.
7.6.7. Duration of tie