The year of 2008 is one in which Africans and the rest of the world will never forget as a result of the violent and brutal attacks of Xenophobia. During the month of May a stir of this violence had already started in the provinces of South Africa like Gauteng and the Western Cape. During this time, foreigners were violated, beaten and rendered homeless. Business owners were stripped of their stock and money; their shops were broken into and looted. Houses were burned down and some foreigners and were left to die.
It is however on the 18th of May 2008 that the world will never forget. On the following day, the world woke up to the headline “THE MAN ON FLAMES”. This was a picture of Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave, a 35 year old Mozambican man who was set on fire by a mob at Ramaphosa Squatter settlement.
A study was made by John Sharp (2008) based on the May 2008 xenophobic attacks. The study showed that majority of South Africans hold negative views about black, African immigrants. The perceptions that are held by most South Africans are that immigrants are the root causes of unemployment in the country; that they cause crime and that they spread diseases such as HIV/AIDS to local citizens. These negative perceptions that are held about immigrants contribute to xenophobia in that they are dehumanizing; they remove people’s identities as human beings and minimizes them to negative generalisations.
The way in which black African immigrants are identified by most South Africans (just to name a few) is on physical appearances such as a dark skin colour, their accent and by the inability to speak the dominant local language, which is isiZulu in most urban cities such as Johannesburg. This is discriminatory in a sense that all immigrants are reduced to a negative stereotype which is then used by South Africans to mark out immigrants and to treat them in negative ways and deny them access to certain places in society such as the workplace or even the community. Therefore physical appearances are used to legitimize xenophobic attitudes.
Hatred against immigrants is racialized in a sense that black African immigrants are viewed in a negative light, whereas European or Asian immigrants are viewed in a positive light as tourists or business agents representing major multi-national corporations. This is due to the fact that from the beginning of colonialism up to the present time, white people have been seen as superior in that they are the epitome of civilisation and all that is good. This is still the perception that most African people hold with regards to white people; that white people ensure that the important domains of politics and economics run efficiently.
Some South African ethnic groups are also discriminated against, based on their language, physical appearances and geographic location. For instance: the Venda, Tsonga and Shangaan ethnic groups of the Limpopo Province are considered as foreigners by most South Africans because of their language and physical appearances such as a dark skin colour. T
he xenophobic ideas go further with regards to them because they are viewed as inferior to the other local ethnic groups.
Overall, most South Africans are xenophobic in a sense that they are hostile and intolerant towards black African immigrants and even towards their fellow citizens in the Limpopo province. It will take a while for xenophobic attitudes to change because these attitudes have been deeply ingrained in the minds of most South Africans.
Now, more than a year later, in September 2009, how far have South Africans (more especially the South African youth) moved forward from this phenomenon of Xenophobia? Recently Skhumbuzo Mhlongo, a 22 year old man, committed suicide when he was refused an ID on the grounds that the Home Affairs official did not think he was South African and used the derogatory term for foreigners to refer to him.
A few foreign students were interviewed to find out if there have been changes since the previous year’s Xenophobic attacks.
Describe a xenophobic incident you’ve experienced?
Miselo: I’ve never experienced it directly, it’s usually people alluding to us and them (them being foreigners)
Dina: It constantly happens, once I was at Woolworths and these ladies started speaking Setswana to me, I understood and answered in English and they thought I couldn’t understand so they made nasty comments
Mushiba: No, people say I look South African
Pokuaa: I’ve had people not allowing me to go into certain places because I’m a foreigner. I’ve been insulted by people, some people didn’t provide me service when I needed it and some people didn’t allow me to go onto taxis because I was a foreigner.
Christine: Basically these occur when people ask me about my reason for being in the country in a rude way, and when people speak to me in Zulu and refuse to speak in English.
Has xenophobia changed from last year?
Miselo: I don’t know, Cape Town wasn’t really affected
Dina: Some people know now not to do it in public but its still there, just behind closed doors like racism
Mushiba: The emotionally charged events brought peoples deep feelings to the forefront, those who were on the borderline are now on either extreme
Pokuaa: It is underlined now, but it’s still there. For instance: this past weekend, a university student insulted me by directing xenophobic slurs at me. So when enough pressure is applied, xenophobia will come out.
Simon: It’s a lot better now, because before there were distinction between South Africans and foreigners, but now people are willing to learn about other cultures , example other African languages. The attacks got people talking and people or more South Africans are becoming more open to other cultures and are learning the reasons why people from other African countries are coming into South Africa.
Fhumulani: I think xenophobia is better now, but people haven’t dealt with their own personal issues on how they really feel about foreigners. I wouldn’t be shocked if the attacks happen again
Who makes the most xenophobic comments?
Dina: Some people within certain black South African tribes, others are more prominent because they are vocal about it.
Mushiba: It’s most likely from a certain tribe
Pokuaa: Majority of black South Africans make xenophobic comments
Christine: It’s a mixture of all people, but more so black people.
Simon: Black South Africans are more prejudice whereas white South Africans prejudice is more hidden.
Fhumulani: I think black people have issues of self acceptance and they lack confidence in their abilities. That’s why they think white people know everything and from that they respect them. Black people have generally put white people on a pedestal.
Has learning Zulu helped in minimizing the xenophobic incidents?
Miselo: Yes, as long as you don’t mention you’re foreign
Dina: No, I can’t speak it, I just understand but it’s not only about being able to speak the language but also about the skin colour etc
Simon: when I first come to South Africa I wanted to learn Zulu but I soon realised that if you can’t speak Zulu you don’t fit in, you won’t be accommodated. This made me not want to learn Zulu anymore as now it was as if I was being forced to learn the language.
Why do you think non-African foreigners don’t get the same treatment?
Miselo: Non-African foreigners seem to enter a different class that deals with it on a smaller, more subtle scale
Dina: Apartheid taught tribes to fight against other tribes; the mindset is still there but just against Africans. Also there is the misconception that the people from outside Africa have money so they wont take jobs etc but Africans are all poor so all they want here is jobs and money
Mushiba: Its social conditioning, people are accustomed to treat white people better
Pokuaa: With regards to white people, it’s due to the mentality that the West is better. It’s a colonialism mentality that white people are superior and black people are inferior. This view is a world system that has been deeply engraved.
Christine: It’s a mind set, especially with regards to white people. People still believe that white people are superior.
Simon: It’s easier to attack the Black foreigners since the foreigners live in the same townships as the attackers so it’s easy to attack them since they live in your backyard. White foreigners mostly live in suburbs and because of the previous Apartheid regime; White people are seen as superior.
Have you been attacked/ostracized because of the way you look?
Dina: Yea, because of my features and clothes
Pokuaa: Yes I have been.
Christine: I’ve had xenophobic insults thrown at me because I’m Zimbabwean. There’s a stigma around Zimbabweans.
Simon: The way you speak, the way in which you dress and to some degree, where you come from
Do you think that students from Limpopo are discriminated against in the same manner as foreign students?
Fhumulani: Yes, I do think people from Limpopo are treated differently by other cultural groups. They think we are inferior to them
A survey was conducted to find out how most South Africans would identify a foreigner based on prevalent xenophobic perceptions
SURVEY
Based on the study that was conducted by John Sharp (2008), the interviews and the survey, black African foreigners are negatively perceived and treated by most South Africans. Xenophobia is racialized in a sense that it is directed towards black Africans foreigners in most, if not all cases.
Mark Graham- The artistic director of Generation was quoted in the City Press (6th Sep 2009) saying:
“Hate is one of the root causes of any discriminatory behaviour, be it racism, sexism, Xenophobia or homophobia”
Our freedom fighters fought for a democratic and non-discriminatory South Africa where no one, neither blacks nor whites, neither native nor foreign would be discriminated against.
LEVITICUS 19: 33-34 READS:
“33 Do not ill-treat foreigners who are living in your land.
34 Treat them as you would a fellow –Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your GOD.”
Lebo and Angie
It is however on the 18th of May 2008 that the world will never forget. On the following day, the world woke up to the headline “THE MAN ON FLAMES”. This was a picture of Ernesto Alfabeto Nhamuave, a 35 year old Mozambican man who was set on fire by a mob at Ramaphosa Squatter settlement.
A study was made by John Sharp (2008) based on the May 2008 xenophobic attacks. The study showed that majority of South Africans hold negative views about black, African immigrants. The perceptions that are held by most South Africans are that immigrants are the root causes of unemployment in the country; that they cause crime and that they spread diseases such as HIV/AIDS to local citizens. These negative perceptions that are held about immigrants contribute to xenophobia in that they are dehumanizing; they remove people’s identities as human beings and minimizes them to negative generalisations.
The way in which black African immigrants are identified by most South Africans (just to name a few) is on physical appearances such as a dark skin colour, their accent and by the inability to speak the dominant local language, which is isiZulu in most urban cities such as Johannesburg. This is discriminatory in a sense that all immigrants are reduced to a negative stereotype which is then used by South Africans to mark out immigrants and to treat them in negative ways and deny them access to certain places in society such as the workplace or even the community. Therefore physical appearances are used to legitimize xenophobic attitudes.
Hatred against immigrants is racialized in a sense that black African immigrants are viewed in a negative light, whereas European or Asian immigrants are viewed in a positive light as tourists or business agents representing major multi-national corporations. This is due to the fact that from the beginning of colonialism up to the present time, white people have been seen as superior in that they are the epitome of civilisation and all that is good. This is still the perception that most African people hold with regards to white people; that white people ensure that the important domains of politics and economics run efficiently.
Some South African ethnic groups are also discriminated against, based on their language, physical appearances and geographic location. For instance: the Venda, Tsonga and Shangaan ethnic groups of the Limpopo Province are considered as foreigners by most South Africans because of their language and physical appearances such as a dark skin colour. T
he xenophobic ideas go further with regards to them because they are viewed as inferior to the other local ethnic groups.Overall, most South Africans are xenophobic in a sense that they are hostile and intolerant towards black African immigrants and even towards their fellow citizens in the Limpopo province. It will take a while for xenophobic attitudes to change because these attitudes have been deeply ingrained in the minds of most South Africans.
Now, more than a year later, in September 2009, how far have South Africans (more especially the South African youth) moved forward from this phenomenon of Xenophobia? Recently Skhumbuzo Mhlongo, a 22 year old man, committed suicide when he was refused an ID on the grounds that the Home Affairs official did not think he was South African and used the derogatory term for foreigners to refer to him.
A few foreign students were interviewed to find out if there have been changes since the previous year’s Xenophobic attacks.
Describe a xenophobic incident you’ve experienced?
Miselo: I’ve never experienced it directly, it’s usually people alluding to us and them (them being foreigners)
Dina: It constantly happens, once I was at Woolworths and these ladies started speaking Setswana to me, I understood and answered in English and they thought I couldn’t understand so they made nasty comments
Mushiba: No, people say I look South African
Pokuaa: I’ve had people not allowing me to go into certain places because I’m a foreigner. I’ve been insulted by people, some people didn’t provide me service when I needed it and some people didn’t allow me to go onto taxis because I was a foreigner.
Christine: Basically these occur when people ask me about my reason for being in the country in a rude way, and when people speak to me in Zulu and refuse to speak in English.
Has xenophobia changed from last year?
Miselo: I don’t know, Cape Town wasn’t really affected
Dina: Some people know now not to do it in public but its still there, just behind closed doors like racism
Mushiba: The emotionally charged events brought peoples deep feelings to the forefront, those who were on the borderline are now on either extreme
Pokuaa: It is underlined now, but it’s still there. For instance: this past weekend, a university student insulted me by directing xenophobic slurs at me. So when enough pressure is applied, xenophobia will come out.
Simon: It’s a lot better now, because before there were distinction between South Africans and foreigners, but now people are willing to learn about other cultures , example other African languages. The attacks got people talking and people or more South Africans are becoming more open to other cultures and are learning the reasons why people from other African countries are coming into South Africa.
Fhumulani: I think xenophobia is better now, but people haven’t dealt with their own personal issues on how they really feel about foreigners. I wouldn’t be shocked if the attacks happen again
Who makes the most xenophobic comments?
Dina: Some people within certain black South African tribes, others are more prominent because they are vocal about it.
Mushiba: It’s most likely from a certain tribe
Pokuaa: Majority of black South Africans make xenophobic comments
Christine: It’s a mixture of all people, but more so black people.
Simon: Black South Africans are more prejudice whereas white South Africans prejudice is more hidden.
Fhumulani: I think black people have issues of self acceptance and they lack confidence in their abilities. That’s why they think white people know everything and from that they respect them. Black people have generally put white people on a pedestal.
Has learning Zulu helped in minimizing the xenophobic incidents?
Miselo: Yes, as long as you don’t mention you’re foreign
Dina: No, I can’t speak it, I just understand but it’s not only about being able to speak the language but also about the skin colour etc
Simon: when I first come to South Africa I wanted to learn Zulu but I soon realised that if you can’t speak Zulu you don’t fit in, you won’t be accommodated. This made me not want to learn Zulu anymore as now it was as if I was being forced to learn the language.
Why do you think non-African foreigners don’t get the same treatment?
Miselo: Non-African foreigners seem to enter a different class that deals with it on a smaller, more subtle scale
Dina: Apartheid taught tribes to fight against other tribes; the mindset is still there but just against Africans. Also there is the misconception that the people from outside Africa have money so they wont take jobs etc but Africans are all poor so all they want here is jobs and money
Mushiba: Its social conditioning, people are accustomed to treat white people better
Pokuaa: With regards to white people, it’s due to the mentality that the West is better. It’s a colonialism mentality that white people are superior and black people are inferior. This view is a world system that has been deeply engraved.
Christine: It’s a mind set, especially with regards to white people. People still believe that white people are superior.
Simon: It’s easier to attack the Black foreigners since the foreigners live in the same townships as the attackers so it’s easy to attack them since they live in your backyard. White foreigners mostly live in suburbs and because of the previous Apartheid regime; White people are seen as superior.
Have you been attacked/ostracized because of the way you look?
Dina: Yea, because of my features and clothes
Pokuaa: Yes I have been.
Christine: I’ve had xenophobic insults thrown at me because I’m Zimbabwean. There’s a stigma around Zimbabweans.
Simon: The way you speak, the way in which you dress and to some degree, where you come from
Do you think that students from Limpopo are discriminated against in the same manner as foreign students?
Fhumulani: Yes, I do think people from Limpopo are treated differently by other cultural groups. They think we are inferior to them
A survey was conducted to find out how most South Africans would identify a foreigner based on prevalent xenophobic perceptions
SURVEY
Based on the study that was conducted by John Sharp (2008), the interviews and the survey, black African foreigners are negatively perceived and treated by most South Africans. Xenophobia is racialized in a sense that it is directed towards black Africans foreigners in most, if not all cases.
Mark Graham- The artistic director of Generation was quoted in the City Press (6th Sep 2009) saying:
“Hate is one of the root causes of any discriminatory behaviour, be it racism, sexism, Xenophobia or homophobia”
Our freedom fighters fought for a democratic and non-discriminatory South Africa where no one, neither blacks nor whites, neither native nor foreign would be discriminated against.
LEVITICUS 19: 33-34 READS:
“33 Do not ill-treat foreigners who are living in your land.
34 Treat them as you would a fellow –Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your GOD.”
Lebo and Angie
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