Migration in an 'Age of Uncertainty' : the creation of a Polish community in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa (1980-1989)

Abstract

This thesis analyses Polish migration to South Africa, specifically the wave of migrants who came to South Africa during the 1980s. Everett Lee’s theory of migration is used as a framework to analyse this phenomenon. This thesis analyses the context of 1980s Poland and highlights the circumstances which would constitute the “push” factors for Poles. Similarly, the South African context of the 1980s is analysed to discover the “pull” factors for Poles to South Africa. It may seem counterintuitive that South Africa would have any pull factors for Poles wanting to escape the tumultuous reality of Poland, as the South African situation was even more turbulent. However, a very specific set of circumstances in South Africa made the country, and especially the Vaal Triangle, attractive for Poles. These circumstances were those surrounding the South African industrial sector. There was a severe skilled labour shortage due to the black workforce being mostly unskilled or semiskilled, a direct result of Bantu education. South Africa needed white skilled workers, to both supplement the industrial workforce and to increase the number of the ruling white minority. This thesis examines the Polish expatriate community which sprung up in the Vaal Triangle due to these circumstances and discusses the role of religion in consolidating this community, as well as the impact of this community on the surrounding area, and their personal experiences of South Africa during the 1980s.