3 hours agoSADC’s social security gaps leave migrants facing hidden losses

The growing displacement of migrants from South Africa has revealed a deeper crisis beyond the immediate upheaval; thousands are losing access to social security benefits they worked years to earn. As rising anti-immigrant sentiment and stricter immigration controls push many migrants back to their home countries, pensions, unemployment insurance, and other contributory benefits are being left behind. This situation has reignited urgent calls for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to enforce legally binding agreements that would allow migrants to carry their social security benefits across borders.

Humanitarian organizations have concentrated on addressing the pressing needs of displaced migrants; food, shelter, and protection. Meanwhile, labor rights advocates warn of another unfolding crisis. Workers who spent years contributing to South Africa’s social insurance systems often find themselves unable to claim those benefits once forced to leave the country.

This predicament has renewed scrutiny of SADC’s promises regarding regional labor mobility. In 2020, SADC ministers adopted Guidelines on the Portability of Social Security Benefits, designed to help migrant workers preserve and transfer pensions and other protections across member states. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Malawi agreed to pilot the initiative, raising hopes that cross-border workers would soon enjoy seamless social security coverage throughout the region.

[paywall]

Migration experts say the ongoing displacement crisis underscores the urgent need to modernize regional social protection systems. They argue that workers should be able to receive pensions, disability grants, and provident fund payments electronically in their home countries without the burden of returning physically to the country where they contributed. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), social security portability is increasingly critical as labor migration expands worldwide.

Portability arrangements protect workers from losing pension rights and encourage formal employment, ensuring that contributions retain value regardless of where individuals retire or relocate. Similar frameworks already operate successfully in the European Union, allowing workers to accumulate pension rights across multiple member states. The World Bank has repeatedly warned that inadequate social protection for migrant workers can exacerbate poverty, inequality, and economic instability across regions.

Southern Africa remains one of Africa’s most integrated labor markets, with South Africa drawing workers from Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi, and Zambia, among others. Failing to protect migrant workers ultimately shifts financial pressure onto neighboring governments, critics say. Families returning home without savings or retirement benefits often become reliant on already overburdened public welfare systems, straining countries with limited fiscal capacity.

[/paywall]