Violence, Chaos, and Degeneration: Analysing Unemployment and Xenophobic Conflict in South Africa, 2006–2021.

Abstract

Over the past 27 years, xenophobic conflict has overwhelmed South Africa. From “Buyelekhaya” (go back home) campaigns to “Operation Dudula” (push back), xenophobia has spread to different parts of the country, provoking social division, animosity, and a nervous condition of ‘othering’ among Black Africans. At the centre of these insurgences is the issue of unemployment in the country. Unemployment levels have seen a persistent increase in the past five years. Scholars that have examined these challenges have not settled on an opinion about the relationship between xenophobic conflict and unemployment. The reason for this lies in the intricacies and racial undertones of anti-migrant sentiments in South Africa. Xenophobia has particularly targeted Black African immigrants, probing questions about intra-Black racism and Afrophobia. Using the SP-SP model I have established, this study examines the influence of high rates of unemployment on xenophobic conflict in South Africa from the year 2006 to 2021. I draw upon secondary qualitative and quantitative data, and primary qualitative data in my analysis.