The June 2026 Watershed: Betrayal of South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Promise
In this article at TRAFO - Blog for Transregional Research, ABI staff member Edwin Mutyenyoka examines the post-Apartheid South African state in light of the recent anti-immmigration protests, xenophobia and violence against migrants and non-citizens.
Focusing on the scapegoating of migrants in this context, Mutyenyoka analyzes the role of the state in engendering three different phenomena that facilitate this: neoliberal economics, multi-level xenophobia and the vulnerability of non-citizens. Drawing on newspaper reports, interviews and focus group discussions with migrants, refugees and South African natives in Johannesburg, Mutyenyoka argues that the state – a state founded on human rights and Pan-African solidarity – fosters neoliberal policies, migrant securitization and anti-immigrant sentiments: "Following the end of apartheid, South Africa established a progressive constitutional democracy with a robust social welfare system. However, this commitment to rights and inclusion is being undermined by a state-led retreat from international human rights obligations. Proposed legislative changes dismantle asylum protections, framing migration as a security threat."
Additionally, Mutyenyoka sheds light on migrants' agency, showing how migrants and refugee groups forge informal networks of resistance and solidarity in a hostile destination society.
The article is available on the TRAFO website.