20 May 2008: ISS Feature: Xenophobia in South Africa
Xenophobia in South Africa
The response by the South African government to the riots against foreigners in Alexandra and other townships follows an established pattern. Having acknowledged the deeply held xenophobia that apartheid inculcated in our society, government`s reaction reverts to type in the search for scapegoats and cop-outs. Instead of leadership and engaging with the root causes of social turbulence, unrest and crime, we are in search of a conspiracy, a third hand, the organizers behind ...
Jakkie Cilliers
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ISS in the News
- 28 May 2008:
Fear of foreigners: what does this really mean? ISS Blog: The violence that spread from one township to another in South Africa for the past two weeks, got people thinking. How could this situation deteriorate so quickly? How could the presence of foreigners in South Africa suddenly become a national and regional security disaster?
- 27 May 2008: South African violence `under control` as exodus gathers pace - AFP: ....`It was too little, too late,` the executive director of think-tank the Institute for Security Studies, Jakkie Cilliers, told AFP Monday.
- 25 May 2008: Failure to redistribute wealth fuels attacks` - SABC News: ... Analyst at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Prince Mashele says more than 14 years after the end of apartheid, millions are still trapped in poverty.
- 23 May 2008: `Government not to blame for violence - IOL: ... Prince Mashele, of the Institute for Security Studies, said xenophobia was not the root cause of the attacks, even though most victims were foreigners.
- 21 May 2008: Xenophobia in South Africa: Who is to be blamed? For the past ten days, foreigners residing in South Africa have had a feeling of insecurity in what was, and still is in some ways, the African Eldorado.
- 20 May 2008: South Africa: Burning the Welcome Mat - allAfrica.com:
... A study co-authored by the Human Sciences Research Council and the Institute for Security Studies reports that 65 percent of South Africans support forced repatriation of undocumented migrants.
- 20 May 2008: Parties slam govt over xenophobic attacks
- Mail & Guardian:
... "The panel is a good move to find the solutions to the core of the problem, but what is missing is addressing the social economic situation that is at the heart of the problem," Prince Mashele, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told the Mail & Guardian Online.
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