As attacks on migrants resurface in parts of South Africa, critics are questioning whether the government's response to xenophobia is working.
South Africa has faced repeated outbreaks of violence targeting migrants from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana and Zambia. Earlier this month, Nigeria summoned South Africa's acting high commissioner, citing the growing anti-African migrant protests.
More than 60 people were killed in anti-immigrant riots in 2008, while similar unrest resurfaced in 2015 and 2016. Armed mobs attacked foreign-owned businesses around the city of Johannesburg in 2019, leaving at least 12 people dead — 10 of them South African citizens.
Migration blamed for deeper crises
The violence is often linked to frustrations over unemployment, crime, overcrowded services and poor living conditions — grievances that are frequently redirected toward migrants.
