High unemployment fuelling xenophobia against foreigners in S.A.

By Tererai Karimakwenda
12 January 2006

The recent clashes between South African locals and foreigners are being attributed to resentment towards foreigners who are seen to be stealing jobs and competing for other resources. Several Zimbabweans have died over the past 2 months after riots broke out at informal settlements outside Pretoria. Zambians, Malawians and other foreign nationals have also been targeted. Discussions with several journalists, activists and officials from humanitarian groups reveal that the resentment and anger are misdirected. Foreigners are not to blame for high unemployment figures. It is the internal migration of the rural population into the urban centres that is the real culprit.

Geoff Hill, writer and South Africa correspondent for the Washington Times said the government has made an effort to create jobs, but black unemployment is at 40%. He said the rural population is drastically declining and Gauteng province is growing at twice the national average. Hill believes the South Africa government’s free education initiatives have produced an educated generation that will not stay in the rural areas herding sheep and goats. They are heading into town to look for work.

Hill said the government has not done much to deal with the xenophobia. Estimates place daily arrivals of foreigners at 400 to 1000 a day into towns, the rural daily figures are believed to be much higher. Hill said it is therefore impossible for the government to keep up with job creation. The foreigners are blamed for the lack of jobs because they are easy targets. He explained how historically the Germans blamed the Turks and the British blamed the Jamaicans in the 1960s. Hill said to some degree foreigners do affect the job market, but it is just a small part of the total equation.

Hill also told us about a survey done in South Africa that asked residents to choose between 100 hectares of land for free, or a job in town. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of the job in town. Two thirds of the respondents would not stay in the rural areas if they had a choice. Hill also believes that considering the number of foreigners living in South Africa, estimated to be 12 million, there have been very few violent incidents attributed to xenophobia. He said some incidents are simply local hurt and unrest.

The clashes in South Africa have been very violent. A Zimbabwean man was burned to death at the Choba informal settlement last week. This makes the issues surrounding xenophobia extremely important. On Friday, we bring another perspective on these issues from Zimbabwean journalist Steve Paradza, who is also based in South Africa.