"Poverty and the rule of race that is called apartheid drive the Transkeian migrant from security on the land to work in the cities, and then back again"

This quote by Ruth First talks to the severe realities of life for Transkeian migrants in South Africa throughout the apartheid period. Poverty and the overbearing guideline of race-based partition forced Transkeian migrants to leave their homes and seek operate in the cities. This was a hard shift, as they were frequently consulted with discrimination and exploitation in the cities. The Transkeian migrants were then forced to return to their houses, where they were met with poverty and the oppressive rule of apartheid. This quote highlights the challenging and oppressive conditions that Transkeian migrants were subjected to throughout the apartheid period, and the struggles they faced in trying to earn a living. It likewise speaks to the strength of the Transkeian migrants, who regardless of the odds, were able to endure and continue to defend their rights.