In a Facebook post this week, one user described how a group of men passing her house questioned a helper she had hired to do some gardening. First they asked his nationality. Not satisfied, they moved on to quiz him in isiZulu, testing the fluency of his answers before continuing.
The post echoed the experience of being asked for a dompas or checked for a Star of David. But here, instead of authorities conducting the questioning, ordinary citizens had taken it upon themselves to decide who belongs and who does not.
During a media briefing this week, 20 anti-immigrant groups said they would push ahead with nationwide protests on 30 June, but that there would be no violence or looting. But reading stories like the one above, it is hard to fathom how the day will not turn violent.
What is clear is that hate is very much alive, and it has been allowed to fester while large parts of the country remain embroiled in poverty and joblessness. Their anger is misdirected, but it has been cleverly fanned by specific civil and political movements and vigilante organisations, all too eager to exploit public frustrations over high unemployment, crime, and failing infrastructure.
In this week’s Friday Briefing, author and freelance journalist Qaanitah Hunter examines how March and March and associated formations may be functioning as part of a broader extortion strategy linked to well-known criminal networks. Read her analysis here.
We also consider what happens after 30 June, the ‘deadline’ imposed by vigilante groups for undocumented foreigners to leave. In-depth writer Muhammad Hussain has spoken to a range of experts on the issue. The majority view is that even if nothing more happens, deep damage has been done to people’s lives and to the country’s economy, politics, and moral standing. Click here to read that analysis.
Hussain also speaks with Gareth Newham, special advisor to the acting police minister, Firoz Cachalia. He details how operations will continue beyond 30 June to ensure the main threats are neutralised and do not pose a further risk to the country. Read more on that Q&A here.
Finally, we have input from Jean Redpath at the University of the Western Cape. She considers whether the justice cluster is equipped to deal with what is coming its way, especially given that it found itself on the back foot when the July 2021 riots broke out. Read Dr Redpath’s thoughts here.
