ABSTRACT
This chapter gives a brief overview of the Italian presence in South Africa, which dates back to colonial Dutch and British rule. The prisoner of war camp at Zonderwater in World War II played an important role in accelerating Italian immigration, providing a unique impetus for Italian migration to South Africa after the war. The chapter focuses especially on the history and legacy of Italian migration to South Africa from the period beginning with World War II through the apartheid years, to developments in the Italian presence in South Africa in the context of the democratic post-apartheid dispensation after 1994, which is relevant to the generations studied in this research. The participants’ stories are linked to important historical events.
