Experiences of women migrants working as street vendors in Johannesburg Central Business District

Abstract

There has been an increase in the movement of people migrating globally and within the African continent. South Africa is one of the countries that have been hardest hit by migration issues within the Southern African region. Within the South African context, Johannesburg, being the economic hub of South Africa, has been one of the attractive cities to migrants. This is because Johannesburg is the economic and industrial capital of South Africa and it is seen as a place with opportunities that can lead to economic prosperity for many. Whilst there has been an increase in migration literature regarding women migrants, there are few studies that have investigated the experiences of women migrants within the Johannesburg CBD, who work within the informal economy as street vendors. Street vendors are often confronted with many different challenges, therefore, researching on the experiences of women migrants is necessary in order to gain a deeper understanding of their needs. The study was qualitative in nature and employed a case study as a research design. The study population consisted of 15 women migrants who worked as street vendors within Johannesburg CBD, and they were selected using snowball sampling technique. A semi-structured interview guide was used as a research tool, with one-on-one interviews used as a data collection method. Collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study findings revealed that women found working as a street vendor challenging, as they faced issues relating to making a living and navigating the vending space. Recommendations are made in relation to programmatic interventions and future research