Xenophobia in south africa causes, attacks and history. Many of the worlds worst atrocities from the holocaust to the rwandan genocide have been inspired by xenophobic sentiments. In that context the paper looks at the general perspective of xenophobia in south africa focusing on the main reasons why local citizens attack foreign nationals. May 12, 2015 johannesburg, south africa after antiforeigner attacks last month left at least eight people dead, south africas army was deployed to hot spots of xenophobic violence, a highprofile. Its not unique to south africa, and is based usually on ignorance and intolerance for people who are different t. The 2015 xenophobic attacks are a fresh reminder of antiimmigrant sentiments in south africa. While it is difficult to put a rand value of how much xenophobia is damaging south africa the brand, there is no doubt that there is a real. Taking responsibility finding sustainable solutions to xenophobia news today the nelson mandela foundation used two platforms to address the challenge of xenophobia confronting south africa. The mining industry has a history of laborers from neighboring states. This may include food, shelter, clothing, or nonmaterial aid like counseling.
Xenophobia is the abnormal fear or envy or hatred of foreignersstrangers in a country by the citizens living in that country. With its roots in colonialism, which coercively created modern states through border delineation and the artificial merging and dividing of communities, xenophobia continues to be a barrier to postcolonial sustainable peace and security and socioeconomic and political development in africa. The drivers of xenophobic violence in south africa are inevitably multiple and embedded in a complex interplay of the countrys past and present structural political, social and economic. By the standard dictionary definition, xenophobia is. We are calling on the president to unleash a plan of action that will lead us to a solution. Xenophobia, international migration and development. South africas novel solution to xenophobic violence.
Finding workable solutions to xenophobia durban university. Sisulu says ngos roped in to find causes, solutions to xenophobia. Sep 21, 2019 south africa s international relations minister has called for africa to better manage migration. The solution to xenophobic practices in south africa. A number of public figures have declared they feel ashamed to be a south african in these times.
Historical overview of nigeria south africa relations. Sep 09, 2019 the south african government has a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Notably, xenophobia in south africa is a reaction to socio politic al and economic circumstances in the country. South africa has launched its national action plan to combat xenophobia, racism, and discrimination, marking an important step towards addressing the widespread human rights abuses arising from. Xenophobia in south africa is a phenomenon synonymous with violence and hatred towards foreigners. Taking responsibility finding sustainable solutions to. In the period this evaluation covers, unhcr rosa established a relationship with the south african police service saps in responding to xenophobic attacks. Therefore, this paper concludes that if african, and particularly. Egypt located at the crossroads of africa and the arab world, nigeria, the most populous state of the continent, and south africa, which is the only developed. The chapter will provide a brief history and critique of the ways in which xenophobia has been understood in south africa.
This is troubling as it harms efforts to fight xenophobia in south africa. It is also important to note that the damages conceded have a great impact. The drivers of xenophobic violence in south africa are inevitably multiple and embedded in a complex interplay of the countrys past and present structural political, social and economic factors. Reflections, narratives and recommendations hussein solomon university of the free state, republic of south africa hitomi kosaka osaka university, japan and university of the free state abstract xenophobia, simply put, is the fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers. Xenophobia has an adverse effect on the society as well as economy of a region.
The last section concludes the work and proffers relevant policy recommendations. The reality of human trafficking in south africa the. Mar 10, 2017 recurrence of xenophobic attacks in south africa. The culture of violence in south africa, which includes high levels of genderbased violence, domestic abuse, substance abuse, murder and rape, have also resulted in an environment that is prone. African diaspora forum adf, a panafrican ngo founded in 2008, works to integrate foreigners into south african society. Most south africans are horrified by the reports they read in the press and see on television. A joint statement by civil society and the south african human rights commission sahrc defines xenophobia as the deep dislike of nonnationals by nationals of a recipient state south african human rights commission 1998. Furthermore, the paper recommends some strategies that can be used to prevent south africans attacking foreign nationals.
Since the demise of apartheid in 1994, many more migrants have been attracted by south africa s reputation as a free, democratic and open developing country. Causes and effects of xenophobia, the strange fear of. Some, like michael neocosmos, director of global movements research at the university of south africa unisa, recall antimigrant sentiment in the early nineties, when the new government was in the midst of planning new economic policies and politicians of all stripes began drumming up antiimmigrant. Xenophobia results in discrimination, racism, and nationalism, which in turn inspire violence, hostility, and exploitation. Proactive solutions needed to solve xenophobia problem the mail. The south african government has a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. This study seeks to understand the causes and nature of xenophobia in south africa. Understanding the causes and the nature of xenophobia in. South africa s international relations minister has called for africa to better manage migration. South africa s location makes it easy to travel to other countries, or to travel from other countries to south africa via boats, planes or our roads. Xenophobia is not a peculiarly south african problem, and many local. With south africa, there is always an issue to contend with. Countries of origin can also benefit from the diaspora in the form of remittances that are sent home to help and.
Pdf the current xenophobic outbreak in south africa has elicited various reactions and concern from diverse circles. South africa vows crackdown on xenophobic attacks after. A retrospective study of the effects of xenophobia on. Yet despite its notoriety, xenophobia in south africa has been one of those phenomenon that are little understood and under researched, and seem to only attention attack. In achieving this, data was collated using a 12 item questionnaire titled impact of xenophobia on nigerian students in south africa across 30 randomly selected nigerian students using sampling technique rated on a 4point likert scale. Though not supported by data, these attacks are thought to have substantially grown in frequency after the democratic government came to power in 1994 after the end of the apartheid era. South africans that, given that the ills of unfair. The environment led to development of new discrimination exercise on specific victims especially the black foreigner. Since the 2008 xenophobic violence in the country, there has been a growing literature on xenophobia. The entire african neighbourhood is horrified by reports of violent attacks targeted at foreign nationals residing in south africa.
Perceptions from south african communities democracy and governance programme, human sciences research council, pretoria, 2008. The war against xenophobia has to be fought two fronts. Making south africa a case study on the management of xenophobia, this study contextualises xenophobia as a deeply rooted and protracted sociolegal problem and argues that only deep understanding and researchbased pragmatic interventions can alleviate the phenomenon. South africa is an example of a state that experiences xenophobia and racism concurrently. It is defined as a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of strangers. A retrospective study of the effects of xenophobia on south africa nigeria relations oluyemi fayomi, felix chidozie, charles ayo. It goes without saying that the community will be looked down upon by others and on a global platform as well. Apartheid created fertile ground for xenophobia in several ways. Proactive solutions needed to solve xenophobia problem. Sonke gender justice has been actively involved in efforts to stem the xenophobic violence and its aftermath in south africa. With xenophobia sparking massive outrage after recently rearing its ugly head in south africa, the journalism programme at dut screened the burning man, a story depicting the life of mozambiques ernesto alfabeto nhamuve who was set on fire by an angry mob in 2008 the screening was held at the universitys arthur smith hall, city campus, on wednesday, 29. Apr 30, 2015 with xenophobia sparking massive outrage after recently rearing its ugly head in south africa, the journalism programme at dut screened the burning man, a story depicting the life of mozambiques ernesto alfabeto nhamuve who was set on fire by an angry mob in 2008. Mar 18, 2020 demonstrate how xenophobia is problematic.
Naledi pandors comments came in the wake of a wave of xenophobic attacks. In order to achieve this, working against xenophobia read more. Pdf after 21 years into democracy, south africa is still experiencing. We, the undersigned civil society organisations write to you to raise concerns about the continued recurrence of xenophobic attacks against nonnationals living in the republic of south africa.
Xenophobia is the word used to describe the phenomenon. What caused the xenophobic attacks in south africa. As a result, xenophobic attack is just the attack of such foreigners by the citizens in that country due to the abnormal fear or envy or hatred of them. There is need to find a solution to xenophobic attacks in south africa. The white and black race in south africa are constantly conflicting over economic resources, while the black race of south africa is also in conflict with other african migrants, depicting xenophobia. This book analyzes the phenomenon of xenophobia across african countries. Building on these understandings, it will contextualise xenophobia as a current and arguably socially located phenomenon, one which. In february, a new wave of xenophobic violence flared up in south africa, following the violence of may 2008 62 deaths and that of 2015, targeting african immigrants in the black townships of several major cities of the country.
May 07, 2015 taking responsibility finding sustainable solutions to xenophobia news today the nelson mandela foundation used two platforms to address the challenge of xenophobia confronting south africa. Five people have been killed in xenophobic violence in south africa, police said on tuesday, as president cyril ramaphosa vowed to clamp down on the attacks and the african union and nigeria sounded their alarm scores of people some armed with axes and machetes gathered in johannesburgs central business district cbd for a third day of unrest directed against. Xenophobia in south africa a brief summary by alice. Jul 15, 2017 20170715 xenophobic attacks is one of the many threats to the security of the world, and so, a desperate need by all to help get measures to put in place so as to help reduce or get rid of it. The quality and scope of documentation in cases of xenophobic harassment and violence is generally poor. So to say, this is not the south africa that lots of people hoped for in 1994, when the. Debate, discourse, and everyday experience in cape town, south africa, africa today 56, 3 2010, pp. We are calling on the president to unleash a plan of action that will lead us to a solution because we do believe that there. This made south africa the largest recipient of immigrants on the african continent in 2019.
What causes the rise of xenophobia in south africa. Policy discussions on anti xenophobia strategies currently have a strong focus on law enforcement and promoting a zero tolerance policy. South africa has had several incidents of xenophobic attacks during the last two decades. The political economy of xenophobia in africa adeoye o. Xenophobia mobilising a possible solution within our midst during the past few weeks a gulf of xenophobic attacks has swept through our country. Sonke has actively been engaging with communities to strengthen the ability of refugees and immigrants to be able to access their rights including their right to safety, dignity and health. Mar 25, 2019 south africa has launched its national action plan to combat xenophobia, racism, and discrimination, marking an important step towards addressing the widespread human rights abuses arising from. Johannesburg, south africa a series of sensational newspaper headlines and the dissemination of false information on social media contributed to the deadly outbreak of xenophobia related. The refugee crisis that has taken a hold of europe is one of the biggest tests that this union of nations has faced thus far, and the way in which it responds to it will very much determine the future development of the european union. The proportion of south africa s total population that is foreign born increased from 2. From apartheid to democracy and now its xenophobia. Xeno ph obia protection from xenophobia an evaluation of unhcrs regional office for southern africas xenophobia related programmes written by. Here, well check out the causes and negative effects of xenophobia.
Xenophobic violence in the rainbow nation south africa. The experience of xenophobia in south africa article pdf available in american journal of orthopsychiatry 811. The progressive measures put forward in the plan include. Aug 06, 2019 finally, this kind of victimblaming attitudes can contribute to a climate where xenophobic hate crime is seen as acceptable. International migration, racism, discrimination and xenophobia. Proactive solutions needed to solve xenophobia problem the. The fourth part narrows the discussion to specific case study analysis of xenophobic attacks on nigerians in south africa. Xenophobia may sound like a groovy disco move, but it is a serious anxiety disorder. The proposed solutions included kncing, hetter horder controls, army. This case was chosen because it is an example of a xenophobic incident. This influx certainly put a strain on south africa s resources in all sectors, and as our minister of health aaron motsoaledi has said, the. Addressing social cohesion and xenophobia in south africa. Give the victims of xenophobia a platform from which to denounce their attackers. A retrospective study of the effects of xenophobia on south.
Apr 23, 2015 the entire african neighbourhood is horrified by reports of violent attacks targeted at foreign nationals residing in south africa. We do not believe that south africa has no solutions to these problems. South africa launches plan to combat xenophobia and racism. Figure 8 tweets regarding xenophobia in south africa the rainbow nation gone berserk. Violence, crime and xenophobia during south africas transition, violence and transition series, vol. This chapter attempts to deconstruct such a representation by suggesting that xenophobia is implicit to the technologies of nationbuilding and is part of south africa s culture of violence. The recent xenophobia in south africa is a case in hand. Before 1994, foreigners faced violence and discrimination especially from the. A critical study of the phenomenon and pragmatic solutions for south africa in the postapartheid period, thousands of refugees, migrant workers and other categories of foreign nationals have been attacked, killed, displaced or deprived of their property in xenophobic attacks throughout south africa. But the recent wave of xenophobia has tarnished this image and fuelled resentment among those who accuse south africa of an arrogant exceptionalism that looks down on the rest of the continent. In answering this call, cabinet has adopted this national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerancethe plan is based on the collective conviction of. The year 1994 saw the south african state being oriented into a new nation. The aeual number of migrants in hoth india and south africa is unknown.
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