Abstract:
Francophone Cameroonian migrants in Pretoria
face challenges such as language barriers. The
migrants are not easily accepted by locals and often
face discrimination and harassment that influence
their sense of belonging in the host society. This is
accentuated by negative perceptions that see African
migrants in South Africa in general as an economic
threat to locals. South African policies on migrant
labour are also control-oriented to deter immigration.
For example, to employ a migrant, an employer must
sufficiently convince the Department of Home Affairs
(DHA) that there is no suitable South African available
to do the job. In the midst of these challenges African
migrants must live in cities like Pretoria where the
cost of living is high, as opposed to townships where
the cost of living is low, for fear of being attacked
by locals. The complex relationship between African
migrants in South Africa and locals stretches Francophone Cameroonian migrants to belong ‘here’
(Pretoria) and ‘there’ (Cameroon) – “transmigration/
transnationalism”. This article therefore seeks to
answer the following questions; how do Francophone
Cameroonian migrants negotiate belonging in
Pretoria? What is the role of indigenous languages in
the process of negotiating belonging?
