Shops owned by Somali traders are looted. Nigerian-owned businesses are attacked. Zimbabwean migrants flee townships. Malawians, Ethiopians, Mozambicans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are caught in waves of violence that seem to erupt with alarming regularity.

Xenophobia versus Afrophobia

The official language is usually “xenophobia.” But critics argue the targets are almost always African migrants, specifically Black African migrants. The term “Afrophobia” was coined to capture this specificity. It is contested but increasingly used by researchers and activists.

You cannot fix what you refuse to accurately name.

The economics underneath

South Africa’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the world — above 30% by narrow measures, above 40% by expanded ones. Housing is desperately scarce. Public services are overstretched. The economic resentment is real. But economists note that migrants also create economic activity — they spend money, employ people, and fill gaps in the labour market.

Image: Stori.