Xenowatch recently published this report on the ‘Xenophobic Discrimination in South Africa: An Overview of Trends, Effects, and Responses (2022–2024)‘. The report provides an analysis of xenophobic discrimination incidents in South Africa between 2022 and 2024 (hereinafter the reporting period), based on data collected through the Xenowatch platform. For the purposes of this report, xenophobic discrimination refers to acts of exclusion, hostility, or violence directed at individuals or groups perceived to be foreign nationals or outsiders, based on nationality, ethnicity, or legal status (Olofinbiyi, 2022). These acts include denied services, eviction, extortion, harassment, health xenophobia, selective enforcement of by-laws, threats, unlawful arrests, verbal abuse, violence, and other forms of harm or intimidation. Xenowatch records these acts as xenophobic when they are motivated by anti-immigrant sentiment, regardless of the legal status of the victim.
This report examines the spatial and temporal patterns of xenophobic discrimination incidents across the country’s nine provinces. Findings from the report confirm that xenophobic discrimination remains persistent and widespread, with urban and economically strained areas experiencing recurring incidents. The period under review also saw a marked increase in organised anti-migrant vigilante activity, notably the rise and institutionalisation of movements such as Operation Dudula, which increasingly operate outside legal frameworks and with growing support (Myeni, 2022 and Dratwa, 2024).
Download the full report here.
