What is Xenophobia?
The word Xenophobia is derived from two Greek words, Xenos meaning “stranger” and Phobos meaning “fear”. Xenophobia is the fear of strangers or foreigners. It can be seen in several ways such as racism, nationalism, and religious intolerance.
Xenophobia is a fear or hatred of foreigners and people from different cultures. It is a global phenomenon that can be seen in many countries across the world. South Africa has been no exception to this trend. Xenophobia was evident as early as 1994 when the African National Congress took control of the government and began enforcing apartheid policies. One of these policies was to repatriate those who were not citizens back to their home countries, which led to violence against immigrants.
What are the causes of xenophobia?
In recent years, there has been an increase in xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals and migrants in South Africa. The cause for this hostility is unclear, but it has been speculated that it could be because of a lack of employment opportunities for locals, frustration with a crime or just pure racism (Naidoo). The government has tried its best to curb these attacks by enacting stricter immigration laws and even banning foreigners from buying land or property (Naidoo). However, despite these efforts, xenophobia remains prevalent in South Africa.
What can be done to stop xenophobia in South Africa?
Some things that can be done to stop xenophobia in South Africa are: -This includes reducing poverty and unemployment, as the poorer one is to the richer one, the less opportunity they have.-The government should try to increase opportunities for all people by increasing education and employment rates.-Living in an area with a diverse group of people is also an effective way of fighting xenophobia.
