Xenophobia and the dirty politics of hysteria

The government this week sought to dismiss fears of a looming outbreak in xenophobia.

There has been talk since about just before the World Cup that there were rising tensions in squatter communities where large numbers of illegal immigrants live. The talk has been that the violence would break out after the tournament had ended. One would imagine that the football is quite the tonic for lynch mobs eager on a bigoted rampage. Bizarre, no?

Of course, none of this nascent hysteria has been backed up by anything other than talk based on reports based on talk based on, well … you get the point. The past fortnight has seen reports of an exodus of immigrants from Cape Town with one newspaper commenting on dozens of foreigners hitchhiking along the N1 … which I imagine is quite disconcerting given that illegal immigrants, who tend to subsist on temporary, unprotected employment and even less permanent housing, tend to veer towards the fixed abode side of life. A smattering of foreigners on the move? Must be trouble brewing then, call in the army. It’s a national crisis. Or not.

Thing is, there is no evidence that there is a looming threat of massive nationwide violence against foreigners. Certainly, there is no more evident tension than has become normal in impoverished communities who feel the government is deaf to their plight. The security forces learned their lesson from the gruesome and shameful spilling over of tensions two years ago. The government established structures and committees at all levels to monitor and deal with xenophobic tensions. Local police and NGOs have coordinated plans and processes should matters get out of hand.

Local and national government officials and structures have gone to great lengths to educate people on xenophobia and violence. South Africa suffered a massive spate of service-delivery protests at the beginning of the year. Most were in impoverished, underserviced communities with large numbers of illegal immigrants. Those went by with barely a sign of residents venting their frustrations on foreigners en masse. There were certainly no more acts of vandalism against foreign-owned dwellings and properties than were on those owned by locals.

If there was an orchestrated plan to launch attacks on foreigners, surely the World Cup would be the perfect time? Such actions are always done to garner the most public awareness and embarrass the government into some response. What better time than when the world’s attention is on South Africa and our security forces are focused elsewhere? A local daily reported on an anti-xenophobia mission involving the army and police. Except the army and police quickly debunked the story, pointing out that it was just a regular crime-combating exercise.

I saw a story in a respected weekly tabloid bemoaning the under-utilisation of “expensive” World Cup courts and that told me that we must be doing a great job hosting the tournament if that is the biggest complaint. So with the football party going swimmingly, the rand and the JSE holding up well amid turbulent global trading conditions, wage-negotiation season being generally less disruptive than in prior years, Julius behaving and no presidential offspring coming forth into the world, and of course the Treasury’s coffers, someone needed a story. Maybe for circulation purposes, maybe for political reasons. Or both. Who knows? This morning a hijacking in Nyanga was reported as a xenophobic incident despite no evidence pointing to it being just another senseless crime. It does make one wonder, if a hijacking of a white person could be reported as a racist incident and that of a woman as sexist, do those not tie in with creating unjustified hysteria?

If there is indeed a legitimate threat of xenophobic violence, I am certain the authorities can and will deal with it effectively. The nation has learned its lesson and accepted its shame. It would be an even bigger shame for that to be used for cheap, narrow interests.

Police in Cape Town have received praise for their swift and effective handling of the outbreak of violence on Sunday night. They arrested seven men and provided shelter for fearful foreigners. Braam Hanekom, the spokesperson for the refugee rights group Passop, said: “The police response was great. The provincial government had a plan in place and people were dealt with swiftly.”