Xenophobia vs patriotism: Understanding the South African predicament

by Nomonde Simelane

Xenophobia in South Africa has been a persistent issue and matters only seem to be getting worse with the rise of both legal and illegal immigration. While South Africans are constantly labelled as among the most xenophobic nations, citizens defend their stance, citing that their actions are fueled by a strong sense of patriotism and the need to defend their country.

2024 has been a roller coaster of a year, with Mzansi seeing great achievements and simultaneously experiencing issues that bring us back to the crippling reality of the state of our country. One of the many major issues South Africa has been dealing with is the stigma of being labelled among the most xenophobic countries in the world, which has been exacerbated by a few instances that occurred throughout the year.

South Africa was once again at the end of xenophobia allegations following the controversy surrounding former Miss SA contestant and current Miss Africa and Oceania Chidimma Adetshina.

Her withdrawal from the pageant after South Africans questioned her true identity and nationality based on her Nigerian name garnered a negative reaction from the rest of the world. Additionally, instances such as with the Zama Zama, a group of illegal miners have generated some negative attention directed towards South Africans as citizens oppose the government’s intervention and helping of the Zanma Zama’s.


In all of these situations, South African citizens have maintained the stance of having their country’s best interest at heart, expressing that their controversial actions are fueled by a need to protect the integrity of their country. South Africa currently houses the highest number of African immigrants on the continent, with legal and illegal immigrants seeking asylum in the rainbow nation. A report by Bastien Dratwa reveals that this fact, paired with inadequate governing by the lawmakers has given rise to the fear of resource scarcity and job security among citizens.

“Anti-immigrant movements like Operation Dudula and Put South Africa First are rooted in the fear that migrants from other African countries could marginalize South Africans on their land. They call for the mass deportation of foreigners to restore the dignity of South Africans. South Africans, in turn, must reclaim the jobs, housing, education, and healthcare that rightfully belong to them,” Bastien says.

More and more South Africans have started speaking out, expressing how the rest of the world constantly chooses to ignore the valid concerns that citizens have raised and would rather label them as xenophobic than address the actual issues at hand. According to these users, other African countries envy South Africans for their resilience in fighting against a system that many other countries gave in to, and opted to flee to South Africa instead.

This sentiment appears to be echoed by a significant number of people, additionally, these citizens pose the question that if South Africans are so xenophobic, why do immigrants from all over the world, including the Western digital nomads continue to flock into the country?

By the looks of things, the South African government and citizens are not on the same page when it comes to the future of the country, while citizens continue to advocate for stricter and more regulated immigration, the government has done little to nothing to provide solutions for this apparent issue.

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