‘Business as Usual’: The Response of the Corporate Sector to the May 2008 Xenophobic Violence

Abstract

This article focuses on broadly understanding the contribution of the South African corporate sector to the response to the xenophobic violence of May 2008. As a starting point, it discusses the external structural factors driving the xenophobic violence in South Africa. It draws on the historical legacy of apartheid, the nature of South Africa's transition to democracy and current global and economic conditions. It describes in broad terms the corporate response to the xenophobic violence, and shapes the array of views expressed through a number of in-depth interviews with some key role-players into an analytical understanding of the corporate sector's stance and orientation toward the xenophobic violence. Critical questions are raised about the wider developmental and transformative responsibilities of corporate capital in South Africa vis-a-vis its compatibility and ‘fit’ with issues of social justice. The article concludes with reflections on the nature of the relationship between civil society and the corporate sector and the possibilities for civil society-business engagement.