‘Xenophobic attacks have dented South Africa’s image’

The recent xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa have left hundreds of people, including Malawians, homeless. I caught up with Chancellor College political analyst Dr Boniface Dulani to give his views on the attacks and their implications on unity in the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) region.

: What is your take on the xenophobia attacks in South Africa that have left about 3 200 Malawians homeless?

: The violent images coming from South Africa have been extremely sad and distressing. There is no place for the unprovoked attacks and murders of non-South African nationals that we have witnessed in recent days. It is a big shame for SA. The fact that this is not the first time we have seen such xenophobic attacks suggests that the SA government did not do a good job in addressing the causes of the violence.

: It is reported that South Africans are attacking the foreigners because they are benefiting from their resources, making them poorer. Is this justifiable?

:  I do not personally believe that foreigners are taking away opportunities from their South African hosts. Most of the foreigners take up low-paying menial jobs that the hosts are not willing to accept. Others are small-scale traders that create employment and pay local taxes. This notwithstanding, a large proportion of South Africans believe so strongly that foreigners are taking away opportunities from their hosts. This, in turn, feeds into very negative views of foreigners.

An Afrobarometer survey in 2012, for example, found that 45 percent of South Africans held the view that foreigners should not be allowed to live in SA as they take away jobs and benefits. The same survey found that 64 percent of South Africans supported the idea of imposing strict entry restrictions on foreigners or prohibiting them entirely from entering the country. Meanwhile, one-third of South African citizens have consistently said in surveys that they would be willing to take action to prevent people coming from other countries from operating businesses in their neighbourhoods.

Q: Why do you think the hosts are always against foreigners despite coming from the same region?

:  It is important to acknowledge that the majority of South Africans are welcoming and many are equally appalled by the recent xenophobic attacks. Unfortunately, a narrow-minded minority, albeit not an insignificant one, thinks the causes of their economic problems lie in foreigners. South Africa’s well documented problem of inequality and poverty among the black population, in particular, is simplistically blamed on foreigners. Political elites seek to hide their own failings to reduce poverty and inequality by placing blame on foreigners. For many of South Africa’s black poor, a majority of whom are supporters of the ruling African National Congress, blaming foreigners is a convenient way of shielding the poor performance of a government that they support.

: What implications do xenophobic attacks have both to the host and foreign countries?

:  Without doubt, these attacks have put a huge dent on South Africa’s image, at regional, continental and global level. Judging by the responses from various leaders, including those from Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, these attacks have  strained the international relations. The attacks also weaken the South African economy in the medium to long term, as they can scare away potential investors, some of whom are the very people being hounded in the current spate of xenophobic attacks.

: The Sadc region is promoting regional integration. With such xenophobia attacks, do you see Sadc achieving regional integration soon?

:  Regional integration enjoys widespread support by many people in the Sadc region. Even in the middle of the horrendous xenophobic attacks, we should recognise that there are many South Africans that are very supportive of integration and are just as appalled as we all are by the xenophobic attacks in their country.  At the end of the day, I believe that regional integration is inevitable and will not be stopped even by these recent xenophobic attacks. Considering the long history of people-movement in the region, I would venture to add that it is too late to stop integration, even in the face of the recent cowardly attacks. For some of the people being attacked, South Africa is their only home even if they are considered intruders.

: Do you think governments in Sadc region are doing enough to avoid xenophobia attacks and other actions that threaten regional integration?

:  In the face of the xenophobic attacks, it is very easy to overreact and say governments in the Sadc region are not doing enough. And for sure, more can, and should, be done. Governments should never wait for lives and property to be lost before addressing the socio-economic and political frustrations of their citizens. On their part, citizens too need to take responsibility and realise that their genuine frustrations with government failure or inaction are not sufficient cause to lead them to kill others for simply coming from outside. If one needs to take action, demand greater government service delivery and pressure government to reduce poverty and root out corruption.

: How best do you think African governments can manage xenophobic attacks?

:  Firstly, perpetrators of these heinous crimes need to be brought to book. Individuals who instigate these crimes, even if they are in high places, need also to be held accountable. Governments too need to be proactive in addressing the underlying frustrations that create hostility towards non-nationals. Citizens, meanwhile, need to re-embrace the African spirit of “umunthu”—which stresses the connectivity in the survival of the human race. No one should be killed or maimed simply for being a foreigner or having a different skin colour; we are richer and better off because of those around us.

: Malawi is one of the countries whose citizens are victims of the xenophobic attacks. What do you think the Malawi government can do to reduce the number of people who go to South Africa for informal work without work permits?

:  The only way to stem the migration to South Africa is for government to create an enabling environment that can generate local employment opportunities. In the absence of jobs, people will continue to trek to South Africa in search of better life until the next cycle of attacks.

: Any additional comment?

:  For a country whose current leadership was hosted by the countries whose citizens are today being killed or forced to leave South Africa, these attacks are incomprehensible and unacceptable. Starting with President Jacob Zuma, the South African government faces a major challenge not only of stopping these attacks and bringing perpetrators to book but also to re-gain the confidence of neighbouring states.