South Africa: The hidden calculus of xenophobia

The conventional explanation for South Africa’s recurring waves of xenophobic violence is now familiar: a stagnant economy, high unemployment, and migrants cast as convenient scapegoats. But that’s not the whole story.

Researchers have found that violent protests in South Africa — including xenophobic ones — are closely tied to factional, internal battles within the African National Congress.

During Jacob Zuma’s state capture years, when competing factions were accommodated with preferential access to jobs, contracts, and state resources, violent demonstrations were relatively rare.

In times of less blatant elite accommodation, factions often mobilise violent protests to negotiate for power. In that sense, migrants might be on the banners – but protest leaders and their backers are often seeking positions and influence within the ANC and state structures, more than they want change in immigration policy.

To read the full story, download your free copy of The Continent here.

Subscribing to The Continent is easy (and free). Whether you’re on WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal, we can get a copy to you. App fatigue? Subscribe via email on read@thecontinent.org. Remember to tell a friend or three.