Causes Of Xenophobia In South Africa

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NAME: THENJIWE MNGADI

212518955

POLS 716

ANDREW OKEM

XENOPHOBIA IN SOUTH AFRICA

Xenophobia refers to the inexplicable anger and hatred for strangers or foreigners. Xenophobia is one of the issues that persist in the South African state. One of the most regularly mentioned reasons for the occurrences of xenophobia in South Africa is Apartheid. The intolerant attitudes learned during Apartheid still dwell among some of the citizens. Another explanation of the violence that occurs in South Africa is blamed on the ANC government’s service delivery bad record, what Apartheid didn’t damage, the ANC did. South African xenophobia has also been explained by the level of social and economic inequality in the country. It has been noted that the greatest punishments of xenophobic violence have been carried out in borders of formal society, where foreign nationals compete with the poorest South Africans to make themselves a basic living. And then lastly, South Africa’s immigration policies are also blamed for exasperating the problem.
There are millions of foreigners in South Africa, with majority being black foreigners and they have come to be seen as a serious threat to the impending economic health of the country. They are seen to be wiping off public services while persistently deteriorating the economy for their own self-interested survival. There is a certainty that the socioeconomic problem created by the coming in of African migrants is not manageable. With the high