Chekero, Tamuka2026-02-052026-02-052026Chekero, T. (2025). Virtual Burial Societies and the Negotiation of Social Support Among Migrants From African Countries in Cape Town. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00219096251400559.0021-9096 (print)1745-2538 (online)10.1177/00219096251400559http://hdl.handle.net/2263/107849This paper is based on Tamuka Chekero doctoral research, PhD supervisors, Professors Francis B. Nyamnjoh and Fiona C. Ross. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : Due to the ethnographic and sensitive nature of this research, data supporting the findings are not publicly available. Anonymised excerpts may be shared upon reasonable request and following ethical guidelines.This study examines the emergence and functions of virtual burial societies among migrants from African countries in Cape Town, South Africa. Against legal precarity and exclusion from formal welfare structures, migrants utilise Information and Communication Technologies, particularly WhatsApp and remittance platforms such as Mukuru, to fulfil social, cultural and financial obligations. Drawing on ethnographic data, the study demonstrates how these digitally mediated networks facilitate funeral coordination, emotional solidarity and timely financial contributions, ensuring ritual continuity. Virtual burial societies thus illuminate evolving modalities of informal social protection, resilience and digitally mediated collective care in African urban migration contexts.en© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Virtual burial societiesInformal social protectionWhatsAppInformation and communication technology (ICT)Cape TownAfrican migrantsArticle