Across South Africa, low-income foreign nationals encounter xenophobia that limits their opportunities to secure employment, access healthcare, and integrate into society. This leaves them in a state of constant fear and uncertainty, writes Shandré Kim Jansen van Rensburg.

South Africa’s recent history is marked by colonisation, segregation, and apartheid. The colonial powers, the Netherlands and the UK played pivotal roles in implementing legal frameworks that systematically disadvantaged indigenous people. After becoming a republic in 1961, white Afrikaner supremacy persisted for over thirty years, during which South Africa promoted immigration from white and European countries while restricting African migration.

After the end of apartheid, the new democratic government relaxed the country’s immigration policies, which significantly increased migration into South Africa. Today, the rainbow nation is home to over 2.4 million foreign nationals from at least 53 African nations.

Origin stories

People migrate to South Africa for a variety of reasons but are primarily driven by the perceived opportunities the country offers compared to the rest of the continent. This helps explain why they endure the mistreatment and victimisation once they arrive in South Africa, which in turn lays the groundwork for further exploration.

Migrants from Zimbabwe highlight the political turmoil, unemployment, and inadequate service delivery in their country. Robert Mugabe’s prolonged authoritarian rule exacerbated these challenges and led to widespread economic distress, which prompted significant emigration. Despite Mugabe’s resignation in 2017, substantial changes have not been forthcoming, and the political economy of the country remains precarious.

Ghanaians identify poverty, unemployment, and a mismatch between education and job opportunities as primary drivers of migration. Economic instability due to issues in crude oil production and government debt further fuel migration trends from Ghana.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s history of human rights abuses, armed conflict, and resource exploitation underpins many Congolese’s urgent desire to migrate.

By comparison, South Africa appears prosperous and stable. Many people undertake perilous journeys to reach South Africa in search of safety from diverse threats to their survival, which makes them less willing to return even in the face of the extensive xenophobia they suffer on arrival.

Xenophobic victimisation

Xenophobia takes many different forms in today’s South Africa. Personal xenophobia is marked by individual hostility and a rejection of foreigners. It manifests in hate speech, insults, and death threats, and leaves a lasting emotional toll on those on the receiving end.  A regular refrain is “South Africans treat us like we are not all Africans.”

Communal xenophobia is prevalent in disadvantaged South African communities. Communities perceive themselves as separate and superior to foreigners, and these xenophobic attitudes have escalated into violent mob actions. This underscores power dynamics within these communities, where South Africans view themselves as more powerful than foreign nationals. They assert this perceived superiority by looting businesses and invading the homes of those they consider inferior. Local news reports have documented numerous such attacks since 2008, highlighting the widespread nature of this issue.

Structural xenophobia is prevalent in official regulations. The South African government prioritises its citizens and the issue is not addressed because it is framed as an issue concerning “foreigners” rather than a domestic policy issue.

Institutional xenophobia is evident in government agencies’ hostile and dismissive treatment of foreigners. Although not formally legislated, this entrenched bias among officials sustains xenophobic practices. For example, while South Africa’s Constitution guarantees healthcare rights to all, effective implementation remains challenging, with healthcare practitioners in public hospitals sometimes exacerbating issues through social exclusion. A study across 13 South African public health facilities found that nurses and nursing assistants exhibited significantly more exclusionary attitudes towards foreign nationals compared to citizens.

Participants’ living prospects

Low-income foreign nationals in South Africa face regular xenophobia, exacerbating their already challenging circumstances. Many arrivals in South Africa want to return to their home countries once the issues that prompted them to leave are resolved.

Xenophobia is rooted in South Africa’s history of colonisation, which has entrenched attitudes that marginalise foreigners. The situation has been compounded by relaxed immigration policies and poor border control, which have resulted in a significant influx of migrants from other African countries.

The extent of the xenophobia in South Africa is preventing people from properly integrating and benefiting society. It is damaging both South Africa and those who migrate there.

Photo credit: Lynn D. Rosentrater used with permission CC BY-NC-ND 2.0