Postdoctoral scholars are essential contributors to research and academic labour, yet their position within universities is increasingly shaped by neoliberal, market-driven models that commodify knowledge production. This shift often reduces postdocs to instruments of productivity, undermining their professional autonomy and well-being. In South Africa, international postdocs occupy a particularly precarious space: situated between staff and student categories, they face limited access to funding, institutional benefits, and career development opportunities, while also navigating complex visa application and renewal processes, isolation from family support systems, and limited access to funding opportunities. These intersecting challenges intensify their structural vulnerability. This qualitative study examines how international postdocs experience organisational dehumanisation within South African universities, focusing on the dimensions of autonomy, belonging, and competence. Drawing on in-depth interviews with international fellows across several institutions, the analysis highlights how restrictive bureaucratic systems and funding insecurities compromise autonomy; how exclusionary practices, xenophobia, and weak institutional integration undermine belonging; and how the marginalisation of postdoctoral expertise affects their sense of competence and recognition. By foregrounding the lived experiences of international postdocs, the study reveals how systemic structures contribute to feelings of invisibility, dependence, and alienation. These dynamics reflect broader global trends in higher education, but are sharpened by local institutional hierarchies and immigration regimes. Understanding these processes is critical for creating more humane academic environments that support both well-being and meaningful scholarly contribution.