A potent cure for xenophobia

South Africa’s decade-long economic slump is stirring anti-immigrant sentiment.

- Andile Ntingi

When economic growth grounded to a halt in the aftermath of the global recession in 2009, competition for scarce resources intensified between South Africans and immigrants, contributing to the resentment of the latter, who are often accused of stealing jobs from the locals.

This resentment sparks sporadic xenophobic attacks, some of which have been deadly and resulted in the displacement of foreign nationals. These attacks, which occurred in 2008, 2015, and 2019, are more pronounced in poor communities who live in squatter camps, townships, and the inner cities. These communities are usually plagued by high unemployment, poverty, crime, corruption, and inept service delivery.

However, in recent months the anti-immigrant sentiment has reared its ugly head again, this time spreading to sections of society not normally associated with xenophobia. The popular Twitter account Lerato Pillay has contributed to stoking anti-immigrant narratives on social media. The account (@uLerato_Pillay) has popularised “#PutSouthAfricansFirst” since its creation in November last year to a point that middle-class South Africans are beginning to latch on to this narrative.

The campaign is also getting support from conservative political parties, like the African Transformation Movement (ATM), led by parliamentarian Vuyo Zungula, and newly-established ActionSA, masterminded by former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.