Brand South Africa

Research Note 30 April 2015

Brand South Africa

Research Note

A Nation United Against

Xenophobia

By: Dr Judy Smith-Hhn & Dr Petrus de Kock

30 April 2015

Brand South Africa

Research Note 30 April 2015
Background
During
April
2015
South
Africa
experienced a flare up of tensions
between African immigrants and South
Africans. Detailed media reports on the
incidents, and implications are freely
available.
The purpose with this research note is to
highlight how South Africans showed the
true spirit of the country and its people
through
a
huge
and
sustained
mobilisation against acts of violence
perpetrated against African immigrants.
The government response to the
incidents was swift and decisive. Brand
SA extensively shared key decisions by
the President, the Inter-Ministerial
Committee tasked to work on finding
solutions to underlying problems, as well
as meetings the President held with the
business community and representatives
of expatriate communities.
With this research note Brand SA would
like to share with its stakeholders a
snapshot of how strongly the country
condemned the violence. This illustrates
the true spirit of the nation as a people
that live up to the principles of Ubuntu.
Introduction
The past weeks have witnessed an
overwhelming response from civilsociety groups and business in South
Africa, demonstrating their support for
foreign residents who have fallen victim
to violence.
This support has taken many forms
from setting up shelters for those
displaced by the violence, delivering
food, clothing and other necessities to
relief centres, to organising public
demonstrations against xenophobia and
collecting donations from ordinary
citizens wishing to assist.

In Kwazulu-Natal province, where

attacks against foreign nationals first
broke out, the Red Cross, eThekwini
Municipality, and Gift of the Givers were
quick to respond by setting up relief
camps, providing food, and much
needed psychosocial support.
Gift of the Givers, the largest African
disaster response NGO, have also
provided relief support in other
provinces.
Charities, churches and organisations
such as Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)
Southern Africa, and the Primrose
Methodist Church, have also been major
responders. CAF Southern Africa,
developed a comprehensive list of
donation points and organisations, and
liaised with larger organisations in order
to channel response funding to where it
is most needed.
There are two messages implied in the
above. Firstly, that while media
reportage on the incidents profiled
South Africans as unwelcoming and
violent, there is no question that the
extent and pace of the relief efforts to
date would not have been possible
without
this
strong
community
activation. Secondly, if South Africans
were as unfriendly to African peers as
some analysts may claim, the extensive
and speedy societal response would not
have taken place.
Citizens Demonstrate Support
On 16 April 2015, thousands of residents
from Durban and surrounding areas took
part in a rally in a show of solidarity
with foreign nationals.
Elsewhere in the country Johannesburg
residents assembled for a silent vigil at
Constitution Hill on 21 April 2015. As
candles were lit, people sang the
anthem and hoisted the national flag.

Brand South Africa

Research Note 30 April 2015
LeadSA, organisers of this vigil, called
on people to show their support by
lighting candles against xenophobia and
then to post these pictures to social
media sites Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram.
Two days later, residents once again
took to the streets, this time in a much
louder protest through downtown
Johannesburg. More than 5,000 people
marched in a spirit of unity to show the
world that there is another South Africa,
one which welcomes migrants regardless
of economic status or race. Essentially
the purpose was to show that South
Africans appreciate and welcome the
contribution Africans from across the
continent make to the South African
society and economy. The event was
organized by more than 200 partners
and endorsing organisations! These
included the African Diaspora Forum,
Doctors Without Borders, Section27, and
Corruption Watch, and Brand SA also
participated.
Elsewhere, residents from Alexandra, a
hotspot during the 2008 violence, and
the site of the widely publicized attack
on Mozambican national Emmanuel
Sithole, vowed to protect their foreign
shopkeepers, rightfully labelling such
attacks as criminal.
On an even more positive note, the
community of Yeoville, Johannesburg,
home to thousands of foreign nationals,
touted as a classic examplei of locals
and foreigners co-existing peacefully,
recorded not one single incident of
xenophobia. This clearly illustrates that
the attacks on foreign nationals were
isolated. It is estimated that more than
1,000 South Africans believed to have
taken part in attacks or incidents of
violence have been arrested thus far.
Between the strong security cluster and
government
response,
and
the
overwhelming mobilisation of civilsociety, it is clear that South Africans

reject such violence in their cities, and

communities.
All in all, the number of public
demonstrations held across the country
where citizens expressed their rejection
of
violence
perpetrated
against
immigrants from peer African states far
outweigh the number of perpetrators of
these acts. From Durban in KZN,
Johannesburg and Tshwane in Gauteng,
to East London in the Eastern Cape,
people took to the streets in peaceful
protest.
The Art of protest
Protest took on a more artful note with
the Wits Choir and POPFESTSA,
organizing the People of Peace (POP).
On 23 April, both the Wits Choir and the
Young Wits Choir hosted a concert at
Wits Main Theatre to register the
universitys protest against xenophobia
and the abhorrent violence against
foreigners.
On 26 April, one day before Freedom
Day, the People of Peace organized a
benefit relief event for displaced
families and individuals affected by
xenophobic attacks in South Africas
three largest cities - Cape Town, Durban
and Johannesburg. All proceeds from the
event went directly to Gift of the
Givers, the latter spearheading the
initiative to provide aid, relief,
psychological
counselling,
shelter,
clothes, and food to those in need.
Social media put to good use
South Africans also used social media to
coordinate
various
civil
society
responses. The 'Durbanites Against
Xenophobia'
Facebook
group,
for
example, has been a major coordinating
point for civil society, as has the Joburg
against Xenophobia Facebook group.

Brand South Africa

Research Note 30 April 2015
IAMAFRICAN, yet another Facebook
group, is working to support and
organise protests, discussions, and to
contribute to the relief effort.
IgniteSA, a social engagement platform
that provides educational, skills and
enterprise development programmes
and initiatives for youth across South
Africa,
have
through
IgniteUNITE
provided effective and professional
remote and on-the-ground coordination,
focusing particularly on the needs of
children in the camps and donation
collection points specifically for kids'
needs.
Looking ahead
Other organisations have recognised the
need for ongoing dialogue that addresses
the perceptions and behaviour that fuel
violence against foreign nationals
residing in the country.
The loveLife Trust, for instance, will be
organising its Born Free and Community
Dialogues around these issues. South
Africas national youth leadership
development will be activating its
volunteers
from
the
respective
communities
(groundBREAKERs
and
Mpintshis) to lead discussions on
xenophobia and human rights, while also
touching on related issues such access to
services and youth development.
The NEPAD Business Action Against
Xenophobia is likely the most prominent
among the business responses. The
event, hosted on 23 April 2015 by the
NEPAD Business Foundation (NBF), was
attended by businesses that have
operations in other African countries and
companies looking to expand into Africa
in the financial services, FMCG,
telecommunications, construction and
transportation and logistics sectors. A
number of action points were raised at
the Forum, the final version of which
will be adopted and carried forward by

participants
and
their
respective
organisations on 14 May 2015.
These include: 1) the need for a multistakeholder coordinated approach and
action, 2) communicating the right
message,
3)
reinforcing
existing
frameworks such as the African Peer
Review Mechanism and the National
Development Plan, and 4) relooking at
education with a focus on leadership
and teaching the values of Ubuntu to
name a few.ii
Concluding thoughts
While we raised several examples in this
note that show the strong social
rejection of xenophobia and violence
against African nationals, it is impossible
to
reflect
all
the
statements,
condemnations, and actions taken by
South Africans.
With this Brand SA would like to extend
a warm word of thanks to all South
Africans who came out in full force.
More importantly we hope that by
sharing this information our national and
international stakeholders can see that
South Africa is a nation united against
xenophobia.
This report illustrates the strong and
unequivocal rejection of violence
perpetrated against immigrants from
peer African states living in South
African communities.
We call on our stakeholders to continue
to seek new and inspiring ways of
integrating
the
continent,
and
addressing some of the local (South
African) and continental root causes of
social tensions in our communities.

Brand South Africa

Research Note 30 April 2015
Endnotes
i

See http://www.enca.com/media/video/yeoville-classic-example-locals-and-foreigners-coexisting?playlist=107
ii
For more detail on the preliminary action items, please see: http://files.ctctcdn.com/8360ff0d101/2a7daf57eb3f-4dc1-b787-dbe3ab392308.pdf

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Contact: Dr. Petrus de Kock, Brand South Africa, General Manager Research
+27 11 712 5000
petrusd@brandsouthafrica.com