Xenophobia literally means the fear of foreigners or strangers, but the term is often used to refer to attitudes of hatred or contempt rather than pure fear.
At various times in our history people from different countries have made South Africa their home. When the Dutch colonised the Cape in the 1600s they brought slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia, Madagascar, Bengal and other countries with them. Many of these slaves were political prisoners who resisted Dutch colonial rule in their own countries. In the 1800s, the British came to South African and brought labourers from India to work in the sugar plantations of KwaZulu-Natal in near slave-like conditions. People from all over the world, but mostly from Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, came to South Africa to work in the mines during the late 1800s and 1900s. All these people today form our rainbow nation.
Since 1994, South Africa has experienced another wave of newcomers – people fleeing wars and terrible hardships from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Angola, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Ethiopia. Like the migrants before them, these people can make valuable contributions to our country.
The suffering of many of these people before they came to South Africa and while they are here is not always understood. Even worse, they are often falsely blamed, harassed and attacked for the problems that exist in our country, such as unemployment and crime. Refugees and migrants are vulnerable and can easily be made into scapegoats.
The effects of xenophobic attacks on foreigners is also felt in the workplace, says Jan Truter of Labourwise, an online labour relations service that assists employers with the implementation of effective labour relations. According to Truter, South African employees often assault and threaten their fellow non-South African employees, leading to absenteeism and anxiety in the workplace. These assaults and threats have typically occurred outside the workplace and after working hours.
President Zuma describes this growing phenomenon as follows:
“Behind any conflict, whether it is in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Sudan, genocide in Rwanda, apartheid in South Africa, problems in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, you are sure to find racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia or a related intolerance. Without dealing with this frankly and honestly, we cannot ever hope to achieve total respect for human rights.”
Provided they are not subjected to prejudice, xenophobia and isolation, newcomers usually add richness in terms of art, clothing, culture, food, skills, literature and music to our country and our lives. Many of the recent arrivals create rather than take jobs from South Africans. But besides these excellent reasons for opening our doors to those who come from elsewhere, they present us with an opportunity to act with humanity.