Since the 2008 xenophobic violence in the country, there has been a growing literature on xenophobia. Xenophobic violence in the rainbow nation south africa. The root causes of these xenophobic attacks had to be investigated soon. Xenophobia, south africa, levels of analysis, africa, foreigners. Proactive solutions needed to solve xenophobia problem. Overview of explanations of xenophobia in south africa. Xenophobia and party politics in south africa the mail. To set up an effective early warning mechanism, the state should first map out potential. African diaspora forum adf, a panafrican ngo founded in 2008, works to integrate foreigners into south african society.
He says the recent spate of violence against foreigners is doing incredible damage to the south african economy and the tourism industry. 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. Ideas south africa what the xenophobic violence gripping south africa means for future of country. The objectives of this study are to 1 identify the significant causes of xenophobic conflict as seen in the may 2008 attacks, 2 create a series of group grievance. For the somalis in south africa who have suffered back home, for the youngsters whose education was disrupted, and who now face persecution in south africa, it is like being caught between two hells. The ultimate goal was to establish ways in which secondary schools can play a role in averting xenophobia in the country.
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. Prior to 1994 immigrants from elsewhere in africa faced discrimination and even violence in south africa, though much of that risk stemmed from the institutionalised racism of the time due to apartheid. Pdf on jul 1, 2011, lukong stella shulika and others published an analysis of the causes, effects and ramifications of xenophobia in south africa find, read and cite all the research you need. Understanding the causes and the nature of xenophobia in. According to a 2004 study published by the southern. After democratisation in 1994, contrary to expectations, the incidence of xenophobia increased. It goes without saying that the community will be looked down upon by others and on a global platform as well. Understanding causes and evaluating responses consortium for refugees and migrants in south africa and university of the witwatersrand. Bronwyn harris is a former project manager at the centre for the study of violence and reconciliation. The impact of xenophobia to sa the brand south africa news.
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. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes effects of xenophobia in south and africa. How south africa xenophobia attacks on africans are driven. The causes of xenophobia attacks in south africa it was in the spirit of africa brotherhood that all the countries of africa supported their south african.
Their findings have been broadly similar, focussing. Causes and effects of xenophobia, the strange fear of strangers. Iii what is the public perception on causes of xenophobia. Xenophobia has an adverse effect on the society as well as economy of a region. Significance of the study the significance of this research lies in the fact that nigerian citizens in south africa are being harassed, abused, discriminated and dehumanized by the local population as well as the authorities. Stehlik immigrated to south africa from austria in 1970 and founded the protea group in 1984 with no capital.
A retrospective study of the effects of xenophobia on. Exploring the discursive nuances of the south african. It starts by charting the recent development and causes of xenophobia in. The xenophobic discourse, developed increasingly since the 1990s by the south african department of home affairs and the media in relation to migrants and migration,7 seems to have been internalised by many people in south africa as a new way to conceptualise their relationship to the nation. The 2015 xenophobic attacks are a fresh reminder of antiimmigrant sentiments in south africa. What is behind south africas xenophobic attacks on.
Xenophobia will cause incredible damage to economy fin24. Before 1994, foreigners faced violence and discrimination especially from the. Xenophobia has become a more global term rather than a mental illness. Several people, both foreign and south african alike, were killed with some of the killings captured on camera. Xenophobia in south africa nomsa dumani xenophobia has developed as a consequence of the eradication of the apartheid system in south africa university of pretoria. The latest wave of xenophobic attacks is undergirded by the belief foreigners are to blame for south africas social and economic woes.
Pdf in may 2008, xenophobic violence erupted in south africa. K green writing 2 xenophobia xenophobia can be seen throughout everyday life and throughout the world in several different cultures. Studies have investigated the causes of xenophobia with varied reasons emerging. The police seemed impotent to stop the violence and some south african. The assessment of these ngos is that xenophobic violence in south africa can be clearly distinguished from common crime such as theft. The 2008 south african xenophobic attacks claimed 62 lives, 2 houses were burnt down. According to a 2004 study published by the southern african migration project samp. What causes the rise of xenophobia in south africa. The rise of violent xenophobia in the new south africa pdf. Landau, may 2008 violence against foreign nationals in south africa.
Yet despite its notoriety, xenophobia in south africa has been one of those. 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. Pdf an analysis of the causes, effects and ramifications. South africa launches plan to combat xenophobia and racism. Xenophobia is the word used to describe the phenomenon. This case was chosen because it is an example of a xenophobic incident. On 11 april 2015, several south africans attacked foreigners in a xenophobic attack in durban, south africa, which extended to some parts of johannesburg. Xenophobia in south africa jesuit refugee service australia. 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. With the many differences and struggles that are faced in the world, it is almost inevitable to go throughout life without passing judgment on another. The study examined the efficiency of strategies for the prevention of xenophobia in postapartheid south africa. The reoccurrence of these attacks has raised concerns in many quarters as to whether the government has done enough to stop the attacks. Strained by unemployment, relations between locals and foreigners have deteriorated into deadly violence. Protesters accused immigrants of taking jobs from south africans, causing crime, and complained that they are.
South africa has had several incidents of xenophobic attacks during the last two decades. Despite a lack of directly comparable data, xenophobia in south africa is perceived to have significantly increased after the election of a black majority government in 1994. South africa is extremely high with regular attacks on foreign nationals. I commissioned the hsrcs democracy and governance programme. It is important to recognize that these hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, but rather offer different levels of explanation for xenophobia within contemporary south africa. South africa has launched its national action plan to combat xenophobia, racism, and discrimination, marking an important step towards addressing the. Xenophobia in south africa is a phenomenon synonymous with violence and hatred towards foreigners.
The study also aimed at focussing on tracing whether there are any programmes in place to counter xenophobia. Reactions and actions to xenophobia in south africa an analysis of the. Xenophobia in south africa causes, attacks and history. In south africa, there is a sentiment prevalent among. What caused the xenophobic attacks in south africa.
In the postapartheid south africa, resurgence of xenophobic violence is a symptom of the deep leadership deficit. White foreigners and immigrants dont experience xenophobia in south africa. Until recently, spatial data on crime in south africa were not readily available to the public. From apartheid to democracy and now its xenophobia. In recent years there has been some critical intellectual reflections about who has rights to the city, and how such rights are realised. This study seeks to understand the causes and nature of xenophobia in south africa. Causes and effects of xenophobia, the strange fear of. It is reserved mainly for poor black foreigners from the african continent. As the rights based discourse gains momentum, groups that have been previously excluded from participating in the social, economic and political life of the city, for example, migrants, are becoming more assertive and demanding inclusion. The content and causes of xenophobia a limited number of qualitative studies have focussed on the xenophobic experience from its victims and sought to understand foreigners2 perceptions and understandings of xenophobia and life in south africa. The unhcr rosa staff and their south african partners who implemented the. Why xenophobic attacks persist in south africa vanguard news. Prior to 1994, immigrants from elsewhere faced discrimination and even violence in south.
Understanding the causes and the nature of xenophobia in south. It is saddening to know that nigerians and other africans are still being killed on a regular basis in south africa over what has commonly be referred to as xenophobia. Despite a lack of directly comparable data, xenophobia in south africa is perceived to have significantly increased after the installation of a democratic government in 1994. Fortunately, it is now possible to map such crimes due to the efforts of research institutions and nongovernmental organisations such as the acms and the institute for security studies. After repeated xenophobic attacks in south africa, the nigerian government response has typically been muted. Pdf the 2015 xenophobic attacks are a fresh reminder of antiimmigrant sentiments in south africa. Some of the causes of xenophobia can be grouped into three hypotheses, namely, the scapegoating hypothesis, the isolation hypotheses, and the bio cultural hypotheses. What the xenophobic violence gripping south africa means. Filtered through the racist lens of the predominantly whiteowned south african media, xenophobia is portrayed as merely further examples of blackonblack. The south african government has a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Earlier this month, a wave of violent xenophobic attacks occurred in south africa. Here, well check out the causes and negative effects of xenophobia.
An analysis of the causes, effects and ramifications of. Xenophobia in south africa a brief summary by alice. With south africa, there is always an issue to contend with. The interest of the study is derived from observations that xenophobia in south africa threatens and put the lives of many people in danger. The geography of xenophobia in southern africa the. Towards understanding of violence against african immigrants in south africa, african insight, vol.
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