The rising Level of Xenophobia: Being a Black African Foreigner in South Africa

Résumé du document

Despite the transition from a very authoritarian regime to a young democracy, post- Apartheid South Africa has not yet managed to get rid of the racist burden that undermines South African political life. Racism is still deeply entrenched within the South African mentality and constitutes a real obstacle in the democratic transition undertaken by the country. More alarmingly, racism seems to have derived into a new form from 1994 onward: xenophobia. Very paradoxically, xenophobia mainly affects Black African foreigners which these same sacrosanct peoples that the African Renaissance project flatters. Insofar indifferent or even unconcerned by this particular problem and despite our previous claims over this subject, the South African government and especially the Department of Home affairs must realize that even if xenophobia is a worldwide plague, South Africa is nevertheless regarded as the most xenophobic country in the world along with Russia. The consequences of this unfortunate status could damage the credibility, the influence or even the image of South Africa- as it presently handicaps Russia-, the Department of Home Affairs must now develop real public policies to stop this shameful trend. The SAHRC proposes three different solutions to sort out this problem: (1) No action: Xenophobia is nothing but a consequence of the nation building process. Therefore fighting against xenophobia is at the same time fighting against the nation-building process. (2) Launch a national scale campaign to promote foreign cultures in order to weaken misperceptions that South Africans have towards foreigners. (3) Encourage common policies over immigration within the regional organisations South Africa belongs to (SADC, SACU, AU).

Extraits

[...] These groups will have the role of an intermediate between foreigners and the South African government. With such a partnership, South African institutions will be more able to familiarize itself with foreigners' problems as well as it will enhance the involvement of foreigners in South African political life. At last the SAHRC recommends promoting foreign culture by organizing cultural events such as films, theatre, music or literature festivals all year long and in all South African urban centres capable to host these kinds or artistic manifestations. [...]

[...] Xenophobia would thus be a disturbing detail in the South African nation building-process. In addition to that, if xenophobia in South Africa also tends to be a physical practice, it is, according to Harris[23], logically due to the culture of violence that undermines South Africa. For fighting against xenophobia is fighting against our nation building process, we should not giving to much importance to that phenomenon. Non treating of xenophobia is nothing but a real politik we would have to adopt. [...]

[...] We have effectively noticed an alarming rising of the level of xenophobia -especially towards Black African foreigners -all around the country. Moreover, this tendency seems to have inexorably increased since 1994 whilst no efficient public policies have been launched to thwart this trend. In the following parts of this paper we will try to present and identify the causes of the rising xenophobia before attempting to propose relevant solutions that will be able to sort out this shameful burden within South-Africa. [...]

[...] Therefore all idea of Human rights as well as equality in front of law is inexistent for foreigners in current South Africa. These facts thus stress the contradictions which exist with most official discourses and public positions over foreigners and the reality In august 2001, the ANC launched its ANC Policy on Xenophobia[12] . With a very striking headline: Xenophobia: Intolerance towards Fellow Africans must be tackled.[13], it recalls among other things, the role that foreigners played in the struggle for independence in South Africa as well as how the South African history-and economy- was, and is still linked with immigration (notably in mining industries of the Rand). [...]

[...] Nahla Valji (July 2003) In Still Waiting for the barbarians :SA Attitudes to Immigrants & Immigration. African Migration. Project Migration Policy Series No R Mattes (2004) In Xenophobia: A new Pathology for a new South Africa. Article published by the Centre for Study of Violence and Reconciliation B. Harris (2002). In Creating a Nation: the Rise of Violent Xenophobia in the New South Africa. Article published for the CSVR. Nahla Valji (July 2003) In Imagining immigration: Inclusive and Exclusive Policies in Post 1994 South Africa. [...]