Following the transition to democracy, there was an attempt to fit into the global neoliberal order without resolving the deep-seated tribal and ethnic chauvinisms that existed before, which are now being repackaged into anti-migrant sentiment.
“In the 1960s, [when] African countries were cohering around post-coloniality, racial self-esteem was developing. South Africans were left out of that,” says Mthonti.
The consequences of this unresolved past are evident today as even ethnic minority populations who have lived in South Africa for centuries face modern backlash because they are not considered part of the national project.
“South Africa is a profoundly new nation that still needs to resolve a lot of these issues,” says Mthonti.
This exclusionary logic continues to manifest in targeted violence against marginalized groups across the country.
“What we are seeing is the same logic that was used to divide South Africans being repackaged around xenophobia,” says Mthonti.
This systematic exclusion serves a very specific, historical purpose in the region. “This is a function of apartheid,” says Mthonti.
The Illusion of Affluence
While this crisis has unique domestic roots, it aligns with a global trend of anti-migrant politics seen across various nations.
However, it is exacerbated by a profound psychological and material distance between South Africa and the rest of the continent, driven by the country's status as Africa's richest nation and the expansion of its Black middle class.
“Oh my gosh, a profound distance,” says Mthonti.
Yet, the reality on the ground contradicts the imagery of widespread prosperity.
The GDP growth rate hovers just over 1%, and the majority of the population lives materially insecure lives.
“GDP [growth rate] is just over 1%, and that devastation is real. People are living materially insecure lives.
There’s a huge chasm between the South Africa people imagine and the one people are experiencing,” says Mthonti.
Ultimately, responsibility for the current unrest lies not with an inherently reactionary working class, but with systemic political scapegoating and state failure.
“I want to stress that poor people are not inherently xenophobic. Poverty doesn’t equate to bigotry.
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More South Africans are open to pan-African unity than are not,” says Mthonti.
