Xenophobia's Toxic Stew: What Ails South Africa's Response? The recent outbreaks of violence targeting migrants in South Africa have sparked renewed criticism of the government's handling of xenophobia.
Officials claim to condemn such incidents, but critics argue that prevention is woefully inadequate, arrests are infrequent, and rhetoric from politicians often fans the flames rather than dousing them.
At the heart of this issue lies a deeper societal problem. Migration is frequently scapegoated as the source of unemployment, crime, overcrowded services, and poor living conditions.