ACMS Wits University

📅 EVENT: Join us for this hybrid public seminar titled, 'Exclusionary Cohesion? Rethinking the Nexus between Social Cohesion and Xenophobic Violence in South Africa', by ACMS's Senior Researcher & Co-Director, Dr Jean Pierre Misago. For more info & Zoom: lnkd.in/d6_UcinX

Day 4 of the @SARefugee_Led Field Visit — Pretoria & Johannesburg 🔷 Galore Sport ⚽ A community sports initiative located in a reclaimed sports courts that were previously abandoned and associated with risky behaviour. The founders, working closely with the Sunnyside community, transformed the space into a safe environment where young people can engage in sports rather than being exposed to street violence. 🏀 It organised teams in netball, basketball, and skating 👥 Dedicated coaches supporting youth development in each sport 🌍 An inclusive community space where any young person can access the facilities Over the past five years, the organisation has served a large number of children and youth from migrant and refugee backgrounds and South Africans. major challenge - Talented young athletes who demonstrate excellence are prevented from participating in local leagues because they lack the required legal documentation, highlighting how administrative obstacles can limit opportunities for young migrants. 🔷 The day also included visits to key partner institutions working on migration research, policy dialogue, and knowledge exchange. 🏛️ German Embassy The visit explored possibilities for strengthening collaboration between SARLN and German based international research institutions - the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC) and other initiatives. 🎓 University of Pretoria – Faculty of Theology The Faculty of Theology engages with migration and social justice issues by using theological education as a tool for social transformation. The faculty works to strengthen the capacity of faith leaders and increase their role in promoting social justice within communities. 🧭 Efforts to demystify misconceptions about migrants and refugees, encouraging informed and compassionate responses within faith communities 🎓 African Centre for Migration & Society (@ACMSWits ) at Wits University ACMS remains one of the leading research centres in Africa focusing on migration, urban inclusion, and displacement. The centre produces important evidence-based research and policy recommendations addressing refugee protection, migration governance, and social cohesion. African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) play a critical role in knowledge production, public engagement, and policy dialogue, working with government institutions, civil society organisations. For SARLN, strengthening collaboration with research institutions is important not only for joint research but also for using evidence-based knowledge to support advocacy and public education. Reliable research can help refugee communities and South Africans counter misinformation and disinformation surrounding migration while promoting informed public debate. #refugeeledorganisations #ORLs #refugee #migration #socialcohesion #asylum_seekers #womenempowerment #entrepreneurship #advocacy #refugee @Lerrning

📅EVENT: Join us for the 'Atlas of Uncertainty' exhibition launch at the Origins Centre @WitsUniversity on 18 April. This collaborative knowledge project—a book, website and travelling exhibition—challenges how we understand #migration and African #cities: tinyurl.com/3p3xhtys

#MovementBuilding February Recap: - Hostile policies shift to securitisation. - Exclusion creates shared struggle. - Learn from UDF/TAC: unity & strategy. - Future needs co-leadership, education & alliances. - Report: WhatsApp +27 (0) 63 839 0124. @ACMSWits #Xenowatch

🔦 ACMS SPOTLIGHT: Migration is not only about physical movement or territorial boundaries; it is also about who can claim belonging. This month we shine the spotlight on the Moral B/orders & the Politics of Belonging research theme and team: tinyurl.com/5yrwv986 #LGBTQ

📅 EVENT: ACMS Senior Researcher Prof. @lorenlandau will deliver the opening reflections at this seminar on what happens to #migrants and #refugees when international aid systems fall apart, taking place on 26 February, at 16:00 CET. Sign-up details here: tinyurl.com/yw2jr3dm

OP-ED: 'Peculiar bedfellows: When Health and Home Affairs turn care into control' — Dr Rebecca Walker and Associate Professor @jovearey examine how collaborations between these two departments are negatively reshaping access to healthcare for #migrants. tinyurl.com/5e3aj6xx

📖NEW BOOK: ACMS postdoctoral fellow Dr John Marnell and research associate Dr B Camminga form part of the editorial team that recently published this open access collection on 'East African Queer and Trans Displacements'. tinyurl.com/2r36h7z3 #asylum #refugee @WitsUniversity

📊 REPORT: '“This fight is for all of us” – Movement Building for (Migrant) Rights in South Africa – Culmination Research Report' draws on a @Xenowatch1 study that examines how migrant groups & civil society respond to shrinking funding & rising hostility: tinyurl.com/5azzb5f2

Yesterday was the first of our 3-day #PGOrientation2026. The sessions highlighted our role as Africa's leading hub for interdisciplinary research on migration, displacement, and justice. We are excited to welcome our new students into this dynamic community. #WitsForGood

📰 NEWS: Speaking to @channelafrica1 about Rwanda taking the UK to international arbitration, our senior researcher Prof. @lorenlandau notes that “African countries are increasingly asserting themselves in migration arrangements.” tinyurl.com/yj6e72dw #asylumseekers #refugees

🔦 ACMS SPOTLIGHT: This month we shine the spotlight on the Socio-Spatial Transformations research theme and its team. This theme explores the constitution of social subjectivities and citizenship across a diversity of African sites: tinyurl.com/y4wppj9f @MobGovLab @Xenowatch1

📽️VIDEO: When asked by @Firstpost about US President Donald Trump’s claims of “white genocide” in South Africa, ACMS’s Senior Researcher Professor @lorenlandau replied: "I think that everybody knows that those claims are absurd." Catch this interview here tinyurl.com/5n6mdcep

📅In commemoration of #InternationalMigrantsDay, ACMS is shining this month's spotlight 🔦on one of our thematic areas—Mobilities, Health and Wellbeing—which focuses on better understanding and addressing the 🏥health challenges that migrants encounter: tinyurl.com/brdzbtxw

Today we stand with migrants everywhere. Migrant rights are human rights. #MigrantsDay #Xenowatch @ACMSWits

📑NEW ARTICLE: ACMS's Dr Langelihle Mlotshwa and colleagues recently published this scoping review on 'Sexual and reproductive health interventions for mobile adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa.' 📊Read and download this paper on our site: tinyurl.com/ye8npdbb

NEW: "Outsider Resentment in Orange Farm" report is out. Deep dive into the factors driving collective violence. @ACMSWits Report: xenowatch.ac.za/outsider-resen… #SocialCohesion #Research #Xenowatch #CommunityDynamics #ACMSResearch

🥳🎓📜Congrats to 3 of our MA students who just graduated this evening: @Sino_Godongwana, Tshegofatso Dimpho Lesenyego, and Nothando Lillian Phuti. This is what 2 of them had to say about their research projects and time at ACMS @WitsUniversity. #witsgraduations2025 #witsie4life

Xenowatch attends the @LHR_SA International Human Rights Day event on 4 Dec 2025 in Johannesburg, celebrating the resilience of youth on the move. @ACMSWits #HumanRightsDay #Xenowatch

🥳 Join us in congratulating Dr Oncemore Mbeve who just graduated today with a PhD in Migration & Displacement from the ACMS (@WitsUniversity). His thesis is titled: 'Mediators of sexual decision-making among young South African and Zimbabwean migrant heterosexual men.' #WitsGrad