Violent Anti-Immigrant Campaign Erupts in South Africa
A well-funded campaign against African immigrants in South Africa has resulted in at least four deaths and the mass exodus of thousands, according to cultural historian Fezokuhle Mthonti. The movement, known as "Abahambe" ("They must go!"), has terrorized African migrants, leaving many sleeping on pavements and seeking repatriation. Governments of Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe have arranged for tens of thousands to return home.
New Wave of Xenophobic Violence
While xenophobic violence is not new in South Africa—703 people have been killed in such incidents since the end of apartheid—Mthonti notes this iteration is unprecedented. "This is not something that we’ve seen in the post-apartheid dispensation so far," she says. The campaign is well-funded, legitimized by mainstream media, and has received government acknowledgment, including President Cyril Ramaphosa meeting with protest leaders.
Root Causes: Fragile National Identity and State Failure
Mthonti attributes the violence to a combination of global political trends and South Africa's unique vulnerabilities. Black South Africans, who gained citizenship only in 1994, still feel a precarious sense of belonging. Economic crises worldwide have fueled a turn toward fascism and scapegoating, exacerbated by South Africa's history of apartheid and contemporary political failures. The state has abdicated its role in providing economic security, leaving poor communities to fend for themselves. "Both South Africans and migrants are the same folks trying to eke out an existence together," Mthonti explains. "The violence is more intimate—these are people next door to one another turning on each other."
Historical Irony and Apartheid's Legacy
South Africa's wealth, built on the labor of migrants through slavery and indentured labor, underscores the irony of the current xenophobia. Mthonti notes that the country is "deeply marred by three systems of violence: apartheid, colonialism, and slavery." Unlike other African nations that developed post-colonial identity in the 1960s, South Africans were excluded from that process. "Historical amnesia is part of the problem," she says, as the country tried to fit into the neoliberal order without addressing tribal ethnic chauvinisms. "What we are seeing is the same logic used to divide South Africans repackaged around xenophobia."
Global Context and Misplaced Blame
Mthonti sees this as part of a global trend of anti-migrant sentiment led by figures like Bolsonaro, Trump, and Modi. Despite South Africa's relative affluence—the highest concentration of dollar millionaires in Africa and a growing Black middle class—GDP growth is just over 1%, and many live in material insecurity. "There’s a huge chasm between the South Africa people imagine and the one people are experiencing," she says. Mthonti challenges the framing that blames poor people for xenophobia, insisting that state failure and political scapegoating are the real culprits. "Poor people are not inherently xenophobic. Poverty doesn’t equate to bigotry."
