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The Inquiry: Why are immigrants under attack in South Africa?

Why Are Immigrants Under Attack in South Africa?

14/11/2019 GMT

Why are immigrants under attack in South Africa?

BBC World Service - The Inquiry, Why are immigrants under attack in South Africa?

In the so-called “rainbow nation”, why are foreigners so often subject to violence?

In September, xenophobic violence broke out again in South Africa. Shops were looted and burnt, people were beaten and killed. Why does this keep happening to immigrants?

In September 2019 violence broke out in the city of Johannesburg. Many people were beaten, at least 12 were killed, and shops were looted and burned down. The perpetrators were mainly poor black South African men, and those attacked were predominantly immigrants from other African countries and from Asia. 

This just the latest in a long line of xenophobic attacks in the country. In 2015 the army was even deployed to deter further unrest. Immigrants are often subject to threats on social media, and some have even voluntarily returned to their home countries in response. But in the country once labelled “the  rainbow nation”, why are foreigners so often subject to violence?

We hear from: 

Kimberly Mutandiro – freelance journalist
Dr Alex Hiropoulos - Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Stanislaus
Dr Suren Pillay - Senior Researcher at the Center for Humanities Research, University of Western Cape
Dewa Mavhinga - Southern Africa Director, Human Rights Watch


Presenter: Victoria Uwonkunda
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Researcher: Lizzy McNeill


(A woman sings as she holds a banner during a march against the recent rise of xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Credit: Michele Spatari /Getty Images)

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