What is Xenophobia?

It is based on the politics of exclusion, which is a feeling that foreigners are different from the nationals and so should have a lower status than that of the nationals. Xenophobia describes an irrational dislike of strangers and a xenophobe is a person who is contemptuous of foreign peoples. According to Klaude (2001), xenophobia is one of the principal causes of violence around the world.

When did xenophobia started in South Africa?

Xenophobia is a latent or obtrusive dislike of foreigners. It is anti-social and destructive of property and life. Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which started around mid May in 2008 in the informal settlements of Alexandria claimed 62 lives. Thousands of foreigners were left homeless.

How does xenophobia affect South African communities?

In post-Apartheid South Africa, xenophobic attitudes have permeated the society and fueled countless xenophobic attacks on non-nationals. Thousands of foreign nationals or those considered ‘outsiders’ have been harassed, attacked or killed, as a result of this violence.

Where is xenophobia most common in South Africa?

Gauteng province, which includes South Africa’s largest city Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria, has the highest rate of violence against foreign nationals, followed by the Western Cape, according to the ACMS. KwaZulu-Natal, where Durban is situated, is third.

How can xenophobia can be stopped in South Africa?

The following are ways in which xenophobia can be stopped:

The following are ways in which xenophobia can be stopped

• Land Tenure: The position of land is a major in determining poverty. If land holding is not titled, people tend to have low motivation to invest in the land .Financial institutions also hesitate to give development loan to people who do not have collateral security. It is not only the agricultural land that is required by the poor. Viable land tenure is capable of empowering the inhabitants of the informal settlements to be engaged in economic activities that may increase their income levels.

• Corruption: South Africa, like any other part of the world faces corruption. However, the practice of corruption has negative connotations both in South Africa and in the sending nations. In many instances corruption is regarded as a breach of morality. The World Bank (2000) aptly Re-visiting the May 2008 Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa by Matunhu 104 defines „corruption‟ as the abuse of official powers for personal gain. Some politicians and bureaucrats forge a dependent patron/client relationship through which administrative decision making occurs for the benefit of the cronies themselves. The very people who are supposed to defend the poor have instead been responsible for institutionalized looting.

• Education: No amount of investment in any anti-xenophobic behavior is likely to succeed without the support of an education system. The anti-xenophobic and entrepreneurship education should be part of the school curriculum right from primary school to university level (Hjerm, 2001). The education system may need to target the public so that it understands the situation that the immigrants face in their home countries.

• Pro-activity rather than Reactivity by the State : One of the ways to deal with xenophobic behavior is for the government of South African to be proactive rather than reactive when dealing with social problems of this nature. The government of South Africa was not only reactionary in terms of its failure to address the above issues; it was also reactionary in that many of the ‟solutions‟ it proffered failed to address the desperate concerns of the poor.