Peace-building Processes to Prevent and Manage Xenophobia in South Africa

The history of xenophobiaXenophobia in South AfricaSouth Africa dates back to pre-1994 period where many political and economic refugees who had flocked into the country from other Sothern African countries and beyond for jobs and other economic opportunities were subjected to different forms of violence, hostilities and discrimination by locals. However, the post-1994 era witnessed several episodes of intensified and more brutal xenophobia against immigrants in South Africa as immigrants continued to be blamed by locals for crime, unemploymentUnemployment and spreading diseases. For instance, the 2008 xenophobic attacks resulted in the death of over 60 people across South AfricaSouth Africa. The Government of South Africa, in partnership with various stakeholders, has been implementing different peace-building activities that have been aimed at preventing the recurrence, escalation and continuation of xenophobic attacks. In March 2019, the Government launched the National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, XenophobiaXenophobia and Related Intolerance in addition to the already existing National Strategy for Developing an Inclusive and a Cohesive South African Society. This paper reflects on the successes, challenges and prospects of addressing xenophobia in South AfricaSouth Africa through peace-building interventions. Methodologically, the paper utilises secondary data from various sources for analysis whilst the concept of peace-building provides a conceptual frameworkConceptual framework of analysis for the study. Findings from the study – in the form of gaps, limitations, complexities, and success stories in addressing xenophobiaXenophobia in South Africa – are salient in proposing new interventions and adjusting existing peace-building initiatives in order to reduce the incidences of xenophobia in the country.