The COVID-19 pandemic created large-scale distress and disruption of the labour market that resulted in economic turmoil worldwide and in most economies. Lockdowns and shutdown of economic activities caused loss of income for many migrant workers and were especially difficult for those whose livelihoods depend on daily wages and employment and self-employment in the informal economy. In South Africa, considerable attention has been paid to the social and economic consequences of the pandemic for international migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in the country.3 Research has shed light on issues such as the disruptive impact of pandemic-related unemployment and income shocks;4 mobility constraints and return migration to countries of origin;5 pandemic precarity and increased food insecurity;6 the shift from cross-border informal to digital remittance channels;7 and the exclusion of migrants from government pandemic relief measures.8 In sharp contrast to the growing body of research on the plight of international migrants during the pandemic, there has been very little research to date on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the millions of internal migrants in South African cities.