One of the contradictions in South Africa's “plural” society is that Africans constitute the bulk of the labor force in the urban industrial economy and yet are defined, by government policy, as temporary sojourners in the cities who should identify only with their rural “homelands.” This study shows that substantial numbers of Africans in one major city react to official policies by maintaining contact with rural reserves. This response, however, is an unwilling one resulting from frustration and is unlikely to minimize ultimate conflict.