Reflection on the Xenophobic Violence against African Migrants in South Africa

Abstract

Post liberation in 1994, South Africa had large numbers of migrants coming to the countnj from different parts of the continent in order to escape the political instabilihj and poverhJ prevalent in their home countnj. The liberation of South Africa provided a new sense of hope, as they wanted to share in the fruits of democracy that presented itself for the indigenous Africans. Migrants over a short period integrated with indigenous South Africans and established themselves socially and economically. This advancement raised the ire of the indigenous Africans as the economic benefits of the post liberation political promises did not affect their lives materially. This together with other factors instigated by prominent political personalities served as a catalyst that resulted in the most brutal xenophobic violence against migrants in 2008 and 2015. This paper through content analysis of secondanJ and primanJ sources of data reflects on the early signs of xenophobic VIolence occurring, the political and social events that lead to both the 2008 and 2015 violence and the response of South African civil sociehj in providing humanitarian assistance to victims of the violence.