Abstract
Orientation: The research addressed the issue of leadership response to xenophobia in South Africa that has a unique characteristic of being ‘black on black’.Research purpose: The research purpose was to assess the dynamics informing xenophobia in South Africa, leadership responses and systemic lessons thereon.Motivation for the study: The first black president, the late Nelson Mandela, put in place a Constitution that has an intent to protect all stakeholders in a non-racist, non-sexist and without discrimination based on colour or creed. This pleasantness and warm welcome attracted a large influx of immigrants from across the continent and South Asia who come as international students, skilled professionals and economic refugees. This migratory pattern has led to protracted conflict between immigrants from Africa and indigenous black South Africans.Research design, approach and method: A qualitative, exploratory research that drew data from the semi-structured interviews was carried out. Seven participants were purposefully sampled based on their involvement with the xenophobic affairs in their line of work. Content analysis augmented the primary data.Main findings: The findings of this research showed that xenophobia is a consequence of the socio-economic environment in South Africa and that the leadership response shaped the public opinion on the phenomenon.Practical/managerial implications: The research informed all South Africans, policy-makers and leadership in government on the consequences of xenophobia on the growth and image of the country.Contribution/value-add: This article contributed to the current efforts by leadership in both government and civil society towards addressing the socio-economic issues that fuel xenophobia.
Highlights
During the 1890s, South Africa depended on migrant mine workers from as far as Malawi (Mitchell 2013).At the advert of independence in 1994, South Africa has continued to accommodate an influx of immigrants from the continent and from the South Asian countries like Pakistan and India, as refugees and economic migrants escaping conflicted areas (Oluwaseun & Olusola 2014)
Unintended policy consequences emerged from discussions around South African foreign and immigration policies
‘I don’t think so, I think they are regional issues you know, the region seems not to be in a clear position, that being immigration across these countries and other countries across the region are not clearly pulling their weight when it comes to dealing with this question, it would quite be unreasonable to expect SA’s foreign policy to address that question, it is a regional issue not necessarily a country issue, so I wouldn’t place the blame squarely on South Africa’s foreign and immigration policy, I’m not saying that SA’s foreign policy or immigration policy is suppressed, but it would depend on other countries within the region.’ (P5)
Summary
During the 1890s, South Africa depended on migrant mine workers from as far as Malawi (Mitchell 2013). At the advert of independence in 1994, South Africa has continued to accommodate an influx of immigrants from the continent and from the South Asian countries like Pakistan and India, as refugees and economic migrants escaping conflicted areas (Oluwaseun & Olusola 2014). This migratory pattern has led to protracted conflict between immigrants from Africa and indigenous black South Africans. According to Gordoen, Roberts and Struwig (2013), an attitudinal survey revealed that people in KwaZulu-Natal, compared to other provinces, were far less welcoming to non-nationals
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