Xenophobia and Afro-phobia in South Africa reflects our deep-seated psychological and structural deficiencies

Attacks on foreign nationals have again and excruciatingly reared their ugly head in South Africa. Many have correctly lambasted what they perceive to be down-right Xenophobia, whilst some have condemned what they call Afro-phobia. There are those who condemn the attacks on foreign nationals but stubbornly refuse to characterise these attacks as either Xenophobia or Afro-phobia. This category may well still be busking in some denial syndrome that totally disregards contextual differences between the South Africa of the yester years and today’s democratic South Africa.

The fact that we seem to be at variance on our characterisation of these horrific incidents is in itself worrying but not surprising. South Africa is a diverse country that shares a particularly contested historical evolution. Accordingly, our views on historical phenomena will always vary.

However, what has been of particular interests for me – and am sure for many other South Africans - is the underpinning reasons that have led to South Africans to commit such heinous atrocities against our African compatriots who are in the country owing to a plethora of reasons. These reasons have been aptly elaborated to be, inter alia, socio-economic distress of many poor communities due to high levels of inequality and unemployment in South Africa; fewer or non-existent economic opportunities for poorly skilled black South Africans living in distressed communities; and high levels of crime and criminality in the country.

Without burdening any of the reasons proffered above, I intend here to also venture into other two less ventilated inter-related reasons that in my view further contribute to these attacks on foreign nationals. In so doing, I do not wish to delegitimise or undermine the research done by any credible institution regarding the phenomenon of Xenophobia or Afro-phobia in South Africa.

I must also hasten to point out that the exercise attempted below is by no means a justification of the horrendous acts of violence meted against foreign nationals in the country. Contrary, it is a juxtaposition of other deeper, psychological and structural challenges we need to deal with collectively to fight and defeat the scourge of Xenophobia and Afro-phobia in South Africa. In the same vein, this exercise does not seek to treat all South Africans as Xenophobic or Afro-phobic, because the truth is that many of us are not.

Black De-humanisation and Self-hate

It is common cause that our South African history is replete with incidents of black de-humanisation at the hands of those who colonised us against our will. Black people were regarded as sub-humans who did not deserve to be treated with any semblance of dignity, care or consideration. In fact, blacks were made or forced to regard themselves not to be human beings but barbaric animals compared to those of a lighter hue. Through colonialist and vicious apartheid laws and practices, blacks were forced to regard themselves as nothing more than useful tools and objects at the hands of their white masters.

Under such conditions black people suffered not only physical scars that one can actually see, but also acute psychology conditions of various forms. One form that I wish to highlight here is that as a result of these vicious and heinous apartheid practices directed at them, some black people lost hope and started silently to hate themselves for the simple reason of being black. They hated themselves so much so that others started desperately to bleach their skins in order to lose the dark colour that was the source of all evil, in favour of a lighter or white skin.

This deep-seated self-loathing and self-resentment among black people was carried through the apartheid years right into the democratic dispensation. The continued vicious legacy of apartheid under conditions of freedom - which has been reinforced by the triple challenge of inequality, unemployment and poverty among black people - has only served to feed into this self-hate. As a result we have seen this self-loathing acted out in various other forms that displayed disdain for fellow black compatriots.

Accordingly, when South Africa became a constitutional democracy thus opening its doors to the outside world to come into our shores, the self-loathing black felt invaded by ‘the very dark people from Africa’. Thus was found a target for the self-loathing black South Africans to project and act out their self-hatred.

At this level, the vicious attacks on foreign nationals is therefore a projection of a long-held self-hatred by some black South Africans. Instead of hurting themselves as they did when they bleached their dark skins white, the self-loathing black South Africans are now attacking any African foreigner that resembles their dark-hated-self. Otherwise how does one explain the absence of attack on known white foreign businesses and white foreigners by these self-hating blacks?

In this context, it is clear that post-apartheid South Africa has not done enough to offer a countervailing ethos that rekindles the dignity of a black person in order to infuse her with the pride and confidence of being African. Accordingly, the RDP of the sole is yet to be inculcated and meaningfully engendered amongst the self-hating black South Africans.

We need to start conceiving practical programmes that will re-establish black South Africans as human beings again, not reinforce their barbaric socio-economic conditions prevalent under apartheid. We need all hands on deck in this regard, from religious and community leaders up to the political leadership. In this connection, we can ill-afford irresponsible and reckless statements as made by King Goodwill Zwelithini, whatever the justification. 

Ill-managed Integration of Foreign Nationals into South African Communities

The other related reason giving rise to attacks on foreign nationals is the absence of any meaningful plan or strategy seamlessly to integrate migrants and refugees into the country. African economic migrants and refugees integrate themselves into the local communities. In so doing they have found communities that were ravaged by apartheid and its legacy and which were in dire socio-economic straits. In such conditions tensions will inevitably and invariably arise.

It is clear that a practical and workable inter-governmental integration strategy is needed to ensure seamless integration of foreign nationals into the country. Such a strategy should be predicated on some of the following pillars:

Multi-disciplinary Government communication machinery to engage local communities as to how many immigrants and refugees received by South Africa; why South Africa is receiving immigrants and refugees into the country; where are they going to stay; how are they going to survive; what rights and responsibilities do they have

Creation of Community Based Forums to manage integration of migrants and refugees into the local communities

Creation of Community Based National-Foreigner Business Forums to ensure cooperation and skills transfer in business

Creation of Community Based Inter-Cultural and Language Forums to help bridge cultural and language barriers

These are not exhaustive but important to ensure a disciplined and well managed integration of foreign nationals into our local communities than the current haphazard and potentially toxic arrangement. Of course this would require strong community and political structures to lead such a process with the practical support of government, business and labour.

Mzukisi Makatse is a member of the ANC and writes in his personal capacity.