When South Africa gained its freedom from apartheid, it drew migrants from other parts of Africa that were politically and economically unstable. There are at most about four million migrants in a population of over 60 million. However, waves of xenophobic attacks have shattered the dreams of migrant communities.
With an unemployment rate of about 37 percent local people blame the migrants for taking away their jobs. Politicians in search for popularity such as former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba, have taken to “scapegoating” foreign newcomers. Former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba, adds to the anti-migrant prejudice by blaming foreigners for South Africa's economic problems. There has been the rise of the Dudula movement (meaning pushback in isiZulu) inciting anti-migrant feelings. Newcomers have faced iattacks, been left homeless, or had their shops burnt or looted. The All Truck Drivers’ Foundation (ADTF) blocked roads, set trucks on fire, and assaulted foreign truck drivers.
It’s not all doom and gloom, and there are cases of inter-community solidarity. Nicholas Mabena Ngqabatho, Executive Director of the African Diaspora Forum (ADF), is working with union federation Cosatu to recruit foreign nationals into trade unions to protect them from exploitative bosses taking advantage of their desperate situation.
The government intends to end the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) granted to Zimbabweans who came to SA before 2009 and the ADF is campaigning to retain the ZEP on behalf of about 178 000 Zimbabweans who face the prospect of becoming undocumented migrants, making them vulnerable to extortion and exploitation or forcing them to return to the country they fled for political or economic reasons.
A study by the World Bank, Mixed Migration, Forced Displacement and Job Outcomes in South Africa, highlights that both categories of migrants, indigenous internal and foreign arrivals, face the same challenges of poverty, overcrowding, high crime, and drug and alcohol abuse.
According to World Bank, one immigrant worker generated approximately two jobs for local residents in South Africa between 1996 and 2011. It found “immigrants and locals are likely to specialize in performing different and sometimes complementary tasks, which can lead to overall productivity gains and positive impacts on local employment and wages.”
Myths About Migrants Fuel Xenophobic Sentiment in South Africa | Inter Press Service (ipsnews.net)
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