Dr Savo Heleta is a researcher at the Nelson Mandela University, and he writes.
As the campaigning for the 2019 National Elections in South Africa gathered momentum, all kinds
of xenophobic statements were uttered by most political party leaders, who saw anti-immigrant,
xenophobic, and Afrophobic rhetoric as a way to attract votes. Through blatant lies, and
scare-mongering, foreigners are blamed for many of South Africa’s woes and social ills.
All political parties are guilty. In a society where violence against foreign nationals is
pervasive, and xenophobic sentiments are common, irresponsible leaders continue to manufacture
an atmosphere of crisis.
Politicians claim, that foreigners are flooding South Africa, and undermining the country’s
security, stability and prosperity. Yet, according to the 2011 census, South Africa is not overwhelmed
with immigrants, with some 2.2 million international migrants, about 4% of the population, in the
country in 2011. Statistic South Africa Community Survey in 2016, puts the number of foreign
born people at 1.6 million, out of the population of 55 million at the time. While there are
a number of methodological issues with the Statistic South Africa Community Survey, it
would not be surprising if this figure is correct, especially as the Department of Home
Affairs has deported close to 400,000 foreign nationals since 2012.
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. More than half of
the population lives in poverty. The inequality and hardships experienced by the majority
of South Africans, are rooted in the country’s colonial and apartheid legacy, as well as
the post-1994 failures to transform the economy and society. Yet, listening to many politicians,
one gets the impression that it is all the fault of foreigners.
Both the African National Congress-led government, and the Democratic Alliance, want to build
higher fences at the border, to prevent foreigners from coming in and undermining South Africa’s
socio-economic development and security. Politicians claim that foreigners are the main reason
for high crime rates. Immigrants are blamed for the hardships experienced by poor South
Africans, and for over-running South Africa’s cities.
In 2017, South Africa’s Deputy Police Minister claimed, that the city of Johannesburg was
taken over by foreigners, with 80% of the city controlled by foreigners. If this is
not urgently stopped, he added, the entire country “could be 80% dominated by foreign
nationals, and the future President of South Africa could be a foreign national”.
The mayor of Johannesburg often speaks about “our people”, and “those people”,
referring to the foreigners, who make South Africa into a “lawless society”.
The Economic Freedom Fighters has questioned, whether those born outside the country, even
the people born abroad to South African parents, can ever be trusted or regarded as “proper
South Africans”.
While speaking about their plans to run a coalition government at the national level,
if they get enough votes in 2019, the Democratic Alliance, COPE and the right-wing Freedom
Front Plus, promised to place foreigners in camps, rather than letting them roam free
in South African cities. The African Basic Movement, a newly registered political party,
has called for all foreigners to leave South Africa by the end of 2018. The party claims
that foreigners plan to take over the country in a few years, and thus must be stopped by
any means. They also want to make it illegal for foreigners to marry South African citizens.
The Democratic Alliance is approaching the next elections with a new nationalistic slogan,
“All South Africans First”.
None of this anti-immigrant rhetoric is based on evidence. Research shows that immigrants
do not steal jobs from South Africans, and that foreigners are not responsible for high
levels of crime. The majority of foreign nationals, also do not receive any support from the government,
such as social grants, and have to fend for themselves for survival. But facts do not
seem to matter in South African politics. Why would politicians choose to face the rightful
anger millions of poor and hopeless South Africans, when they can revert to anti-immigrant
rhetoric, and shift blame to those who have no voice, the people who make up between three
to four percent of the population?
If, or rather, when xenophobic violence explodes and immigrants are beaten, displaced, tortured,
killed and, or burned alive, while their property and possessions are looted, as has happened
many times in the past, the politicians will say this has nothing to do with xenophobia.
They always say it is just criminality. The politicians will take no responsibility for
fuelling xenophobic sentiment. Denialism will be the order of the day.
While the opposition parties spout xenophobic rhetoric and bigotry, the African National
Congress-led government has already developed, and approved anti-poor and anti-African immigration
plans. The government sees poor and unskilled African migrants, and asylum seekers as threats
to the country’s security and prosperity. The White Paper on International Migration,
approved by the government in March 2017, separates immigrants into “worthy” and
“unworthy” individuals. Foreigners who have skills and money are welcome to come
to the country, and can stay in South Africa permanently. Poor and unskilled immigrants,
who are predominantly from the African continent, will be prevented from coming to, and staying
in South Africa by any means.
One of the most controversial aspects of the White Paper on International Migration, is
the plan to establish asylum seeker processing centres. These centres will be used for detention
of asylum seekers, while their applications are being processed by the South African authorities.
The use of blanket detention to manage international migration, would be in breach of the South
African Constitution.
South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, recently strongly rejected the proposals
to build detention centers for African migrants in North Africa, aimed at curbing migration
to Europe. Ramaphosa said that this is “akin to creating prisons for the people of our
continent, and I can’t see how African leaders can accede to that”. Yet, the Ramaphosa
government plans to follow similar proposals in South Africa.
It is important to remember, that the large majority of those who reject, or dislike foreigners
in South Africa, are anti-black immigrant and Afrophobic. White foreigners and immigrants
do not experience xenophobia in South Africa. In South Africa, xenophobia is reserved, mainly
for poor black foreigners from the African continent.
Xenophobic and Afrophobic bigotry remains the order of the day in the “Rainbow Nation”,
and is likely to get uglier. We will continue to hear the politicians put the blame on foreign
migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, for many of the social ills and hardships experienced
by the majority of South Africans.
It is normal to expect the South African political leadership to do better, but unfortunately,
that is not the case, at least not yet.
Please check in the description box below, for the links to the sources of this report.
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