Towards a sustainable anti-xenophobic rural-based university campus in South Africa

Abstract

In an effort to build a deep understanding of the nature, character and extent of ‘xenophobia’ at the University of Venda, South Africa, a multidisciplinary team carried out a study. A mixed approach was used taking into account critical discourse analysis and infusing elements of participant observation. Ethical consideration and approval was received considering the sensitive nature of this study. A semi-structured interview guide was used during five focus group discussions held to collect data from 28 members of the university community. Three groups were made of non-South Africans, while two consisted of South African citizens . Both local and international focus groups (71.4%) confirmed that separate social and academic groups existed on campus. Thus, introduction of an anti-xenophobia programme was necessary because it was likely to positively contribute to the university’s efforts geared towards creating an enabling working and learning environment.