A Zimbabwean lecturer based in South Africa has taken his employer to court for allegedly underpaying him for the past six years.
The lecturer, Nhlanhla Moses Ncube from Nkayi in Matabeleland North, left the country in 2007 at the height of the record breaking inflation crisis.
In Zimbabwe, he was a teacher at a secondary school.
Ncube said he was forced to leave Zimbabwe because of the poor working conditions and low salary which he said was not commensurate with his educational qualifications.
"Working and living conditions in Zimbabwe were far below reasonable expectations,” he said.
“The environment was parallel to forced labour because we were not allowed to protest against exploitation by the employer.
“Protesting against slave-wages was treated as a crime.
“We experienced hell but abandoning my job in Zimbabwe was not easy due to the patriotism I have towards my community."
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He left for South Africa in October 2007.
Ncube is currently a lecturer in the community education and training sector under the Department of Higher Education and Training in South Africa.
Ncube, however, said he is underpaid, and his labour dispute is in court.
“I am currently underpaid as I am being paid for diploma level expertise despite having acquired two bachelor degrees. I am still struggling to get my money,” he said.
"In South Africa you can take the employer to court and possibly win the case.
“I am currently taking my employer to court over unpaid monies that the employer owes me.”
The court case is pending.
The salary scale in South Africa is R18 000 to R40 000 for teachers depending on qualifications and experience.
"I am using the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit which I acquired through the asylum seeker permit. It was easy to get it because it was a politically negotiated settlement."
There are no exact statistics of Zimbabweans living in South Africa legally and illegally, but estimates put the figure at over one million.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) labour migration in Africa is largely intra-regional (80%) and mainly characterised by the migration of low-skilled workers.
The ILO noted that African migrants, asylum seekers and forcibly displaced persons often use the same migration routes.
