Populism’s role in South Africa’s governance crisis
South Africa faces rising anti-immigrant populism, scapegoating migrants for governance failures and public health crises.
In a nutshell
- Xenophobia is rising as politicians blame migrants for national problems
- Populist policies jeopardize public health and long-term economic stability
- Government action falls short, ignoring root causes and fueling division
South Africa, like many countries worldwide, is grappling with a populist anti-immigration phenomenon that has infiltrated governance on an unprecedented scale. In the country’s general elections in May 2024, anti-immigration and xenophobic sentiment dominated the public discourse. Political parties drew attention to foreign nationals, claiming they were the chief cause of a range of problems, including public health failures. The country’s politicians seem unable to address the socioeconomic challenges the general population is experiencing and are turning to anti-immigrant populism to satiate the masses.
The dominant political parties driving the policy discourse in South Africa have latched onto the immigration issue, with some seeking to explain away apparent governance failures by attributing poor public health and welfare outcomes to the presence of foreign nationals in South Africa, the largest economy in Africa. This contradicts the reality that the country’s democracy was born out of solidarity and collaboration with the outside world. Many other African nations supported South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, which was waged against the discriminatory regime that divided the country for decades.
In the past, xenophobia against African migrants seeking economic opportunities and a better life in South Africa was an issue that remained on the fringes of political discourse. Recently, however, political parties have styled their offerings by openly targeting immigrants in South Africa, namely those from the Horn of Africa, failing to distinguish between documented migrants and undocumented ones.
Public discontent and weak leadership fuel populism
Political fragmentation in South Africa, like in Europe, has resulted from a rise in cynicism among the population – people believe that politics is increasingly unable to resolve social and economic tensions. This sentiment was apparent in the 2024 general elections, which saw the decline of the African National Congress (ANC) as the ruling party. These factors contribute to the heightened vulnerability of migrants in South Africa. Amid high unemployment and diminishing opportunities, local youths are feeling hopeless about the country’s future and are becoming agitated. Political parties seeking legitimacy and relevance are fanning the fire by promising the removal of “illegal migrants” from society to protect jobs for locals.
This has culminated in the adoption of policies that isolate and target foreign nationals who are labeled as the primary demographic dragging down the country’s performance in recent years. Political parties that still enjoy broad electoral support – the Democratic Alliance and the ANC – are complicit in the spread of the idea that South Africa would stand a chance of becoming a better society if foreign nationals were kept under tight control or simply removed. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the situation does require measured intervention, the powerful parties instead offer an opportunistic, shortsighted approach to a complex crisis of demographics, pan-African economic trends and local policy failures and so risk long-term negative consequences.
Blame shifting: Replacing hygiene standards with ethnicity issues
In 2024, a spate of food poisoning in South Africa led to the unfortunate hospitalization and deaths of schoolchildren, prompting government officials to seek answers regarding the poor state of food safety. Investigations have attributed the hospitalizations and deaths to food-borne illnesses. Furthermore, hazardous pesticides were found in foods served in schools and may be the root of the problem. This has raised questions as to how hazardous chemicals found their way into the food consumed by the victims, some of whom tragically lost their lives from this lack of oversight and accountability.
But rather than create remediation policies based on the findings, government officials have shifted the blame and have drawn attention to children who fell ill after consuming snacks purchased from tuck, or spaza, shops (informal, micro-convenience shops) operated mostly by the Somali migrants who dominate this sector in South Africa. These types of gray-market businesses originated in the apartheid era when disenfranchised individuals were restricted from owning formal businesses and opted for an informal, unregulated trade.
Rather than create remediation policies based on the findings, government officials have shifted the blame.
While the loss of children’s lives is tragic under any circumstances, hastily scapegoating the migrants further fueled the anti-immigration sentiments in the country. Lately, citizens have demanded that Somali nationals should summarily close their businesses and return to their country. Somalis have been traders for years all over eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian Ocean. They are now prevalent in rising numbers in South Africa, drawing the ire of many locals. In some areas across the country, particularly in Gauteng Province, South Africa’s economic hub, frustrated communities have taken it upon themselves to force the closure of shops owned by Somali as well as Pakistani migrants.
An immediate yet far from comprehensive response
The situation warrants government action, and understandably, the ANC-led coalition government declared this a national crisis in November 2024. Subsequently, the government announced regulatory measures to ensure that all informal tuck shops are brought under a formal regulatory regime to ensure food safety. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day registration period in November. By declaring immediate measures to regulate the informal economy in South Africa, the government is trying to demonstrate the required urgency in responding to a life-threatening crisis.
In the current atmosphere of general governmental policy failure, immediate regulatory measures may provide a sense of responsiveness and restore people’s confidence in public services. Yet, however swift the response has been, it has been too narrow in scope and fails to consider the unintended consequences of the much-touted policies, including increased xenophobia and human rights violations of migrants.
By identifying migrant-owned shops as the sole source of food-borne illnesses and deaths, with only partial evidence, the government has exacerbated the impression that foreign nationals are responsible for this crisis. This conclusion is both factually improbable and outright politically irresponsible. It exposes foreign nationals to further vulnerability in an increasingly volatile South Africa. Seeking to gain political legitimacy among the genuinely frustrated electorate, most political parties in South Africa resorting to populist motives fail to provide a perspective that could result in a long-term solution to address this crisis.
Winning votes trumps solving problems
Political leaders who claim that the cause of the problem has been sufficiently identified are deliberately glossing over common-sense facts about the situation. As children eat not only goods from tuck shops but also regularly consume food from government-funded school feeding schemes provided by local contractors, it begs the question whether this too could be a contributing factor to the crisis and whether these programs have been adequately ruled out as a probable contributor to the problem. It is unlikely that the government will be held accountable for oversight of the handling and storage of food provided under government-funded food schemes. Pointing the finger at migrants seems to be the overriding response.
Furthermore, there is an additional crisis of rat infestations across different municipalities that necessitated the use of hazardous pesticides. The pesticides were found in food samples consumed by some children affected by food-borne illnesses. Clearly, the inappropriate application of hazardous materials in food preparation has also contributed to the hospitalizations and is wholly unrelated to the issue of migrants.
It is the responsibility of municipalities to ensure proper waste management so that residents are not forced to use prohibited hazardous pesticides. With most municipalities struggling to provide residents with basic services such as garbage collection, people have to fend for themselves and have used prohibited pesticides that find their way into food consumed by schoolchildren. Nevertheless, migrants remain the scapegoats.
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Instead of appreciating the complexity of hygiene protocols and holding providers of gastronomical services accountable, the government has opted for an approach that singles out immigrants owning informal businesses while ignoring other possible sources of contamination along the value chain. This indicates the government is taking a lax approach to ensuring public safety and welfare. An exacting enquiry into other possible sources of the crisis appears to be politically unpalatable to political leaders, as that would point to policy and governance failures and expose the government’s culpability in the situation.
The response provided by South Africa’s elected officials has so far been both lacking and sinister. It targets migrants with few political allies in the country’s fractured political scene, increasingly characterized by populism, highlighting problems without solutions.
Amid this crisis and blame shifting, some opportunistic political leaders in South Africa have been insinuating that South African citizens should take over the informal businesses operated by foreigners. The politicians seek to kill two birds with one stone with such a ploy, offering a low-hanging fruit to alleviate high unemployment while currying public favor by catering to rising social tensions and xenophobia against migrant shop owners battling to hold onto their livelihoods.
African Union protocols ignored
The African Union’s protocols on protecting migrants’ rights state that member states should take measures to protect migrants and their businesses across the continent. Yet this was not considered in South Africa’s narrowly formulated response to the food-borne illness crisis, further increasing the vulnerability of migrants and their businesses. Political leaders have been mute, and have not sufficiently countered the scapegoating that lays the blame for food-borne illnesses solely on foreigners in the country.
Scenarios
South Africa is grappling with a host of complex issues that require the attention of elected officials. These include providing economic opportunities, maintaining public health and managing the flows of documented and undocumented migrants. Two scenarios for future developments in the country are worthy of consideration.
Unlikely: Elected officials address key public health issues beyond migration policy
Addressing the widespread food-borne illnesses affecting schoolchildren in South Africa demands a comprehensive government response, including licensing of retail outlets, oversight of hygiene and public health protocols and accountability when shops or contracted food service companies fail to fulfill requirements. Empowering civil society groups to play a constructive role in public health is possible, but resting hopes on civic groups alone is naive.
Overcoming public health issues while maintaining the economic contribution of foreigners, who have been the bedrock of the informal retail sector for years, is unlikely as it requires clear political leadership. Somali immigrants’ participation in this sector has resuscitated a nearly forgotten trade. However, politicians’ widespread acquiescence to populist calls to deport migrants makes the outlook for responsible governance, public health management and economic growth bleak.
Likely: Political will to address challenges remains weak
When it comes to ensuring that the informal retail sector remains a strong part of the South African economic ecosystem going forward, policymakers will likely punt. Instead, they will pit citizens with voting rights against non-voting migrants in an unwinnable contest that will ultimately harm the broader economy. Political leaders seeking to stay on the gravy train will likely continue veering towards survival mode, stoking a populist, anti-migrant mantra to remain in office. This situation demonstrates that South African politics is increasingly disconnected from reality.
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