Why do South Africans hate foreigners so much?
When a Minister in the Presidency feels comfortable enough to say in a Cabinet briefing, "We are going to smoke them out," when asked about illegal miners trapped in a shaft in the North West, it is perhaps time to ask the question of "Why South Africans hate foreigners so much?"
The negative sentiment towards foreigners has been a common theme thread throughout 2024.
It rose its head earlier this year during the Miss SA saga when concerns were raised about one of the contestant's Nigerian and Mozambican heritage. Chidinma Adetshina later withdrew from the pageant because of the backlash over her citizenship. She went on to be crowned Miss Nigeria after that country invited her to enter their competition. Earlier this month, she was named the runner-up at the Miss Universe pageant.
As foodborne illnesses allegedly claimed the lives of at least 22 children, including six in Naledi, Soweto, this year, after they bought snacks at spaza shops, communities turned their anger on those that were foreign-owned.
For years, civil society groups have been warning that the pesticide terbufos suspected to be involved in these deaths needed to be better regulated. Terbufos is commonly sold as a "street pesticide", not just at spaza shops but also at taxi ranks and pension payout points. This has made it challenging to target a specific area for the outbreak.
The focus, though, has only fallen on spaza shops which have been given just three weeks to register their businesses, with threats that those who fail to register will be closed.
Despite South Africa's transition from authoritarian rule to democracy, prejudice and violence have continued to mark the contemporary landscape. And more often than not, the victim has been "the foreigner", especially in light of the fact that inequality, unemployment and poor service delivery remain issues that have not been resolved.
Politicians who are keen to hide away from their own inefficiencies in governing have been happy to climb on the xenophobic bandwagon.
It is easy to lay the blame at the doorstep of undocumented migrants for dying children and criminal activities, whether it be underground or above, without accounting for how South Africa was allowed to get to this point.
In this week's edition of Friday Briefing, the HSRC's Dr Steven Gordon details how the negative sentiment towards migrants has become increasingly hostile in recent years, and what needs to be done to stem that.
We also have a submission from ReimagineSA's founder, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, who explains why she thinks South African hostility to foreigners is on the increase.
In-depth writer Muhammad Hussian spoke to ActionSA's leader Herman Mashaba to ask whether he was concerned that the rhetoric he and other politicians employ would lead to xenophobic action.
CSVR's Sinqobile Makhathini and Gugu Nonjinge focused specifically on the issue of zama zamas (illegal miners) and how the government should be taking more responsibility for the current situation than it is.
Finally, Muhammad Hussain fact-checks some myths about foreigners in South Africa to dispel some misconceptions, as xenophobia's tentacles creep into all levels of our society.
Have a good weekend.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
Crackdown on spaza shops: A catalyst for xenophobia?
What began as sporadic outbursts of violence against foreign nationals in the 1990s has transformed into a persistent undercurrent of hostility. And new data suggests the problem is getting worse, writes Steven Gordon.
Xenophobia is a symptom of governance failures
What civil society organisations should focus on is challenging government failures instead of expecting the poorest people to bear the brunt of undocumented migrants in their midst, writes Mamphela Ramphele.
Q&A with Herman Mashaba | 'Deport all foreign illegals'
News24 spoke to ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba this week about the government's response to the spaza shops and zama zamas - which has turned into a national discussion about foreign nationals.
Unpacking xenophobia through the eyes of the informal miner
Political figures often use xenophobic rhetoric as an electioneering strategy and as a mode of scapegoating for their lack of service delivery in the country. This in turn fuels more xenophobic violence, jeopardising the protections in the Constitution and international law, not only for foreign nationals but for South African citizens, write Sinqobile Makhathini and Gugu Nonjinge.
FACT CHECK | Are there really 10 million foreigners in South Africa?
With the high levels of anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment resurfacing in South Africa in the past two weeks, News24 decided to fact-check some myths that always resurface when this type of sentiment persists.
My F*k, Mzansi | Drag Zille, Kak-praat pay, Putin's big stick and fool's gold
Every week in Mzansi, something is said or done in our land of wonder that is akin to Marelize hitting the rugby post on her bicycle. And then we all just react as Marelize's mum did.
