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Xenophobia: what the government should have done – and can still do

State response to the covid emergency was much better

A police officer blocks masked vigilantes armed with sticks from entering a home to check for what they claim are undocumented immigrants in Alexandra last week. The government response to the outbreak of xenophobia has been slow and ambiguous, argues the writer. Archive photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
Compared to its response to the covid epidemic, the response of the government to the threats against immigrants has been slow and ambiguous, argues Alan Hirsch.
On 7 December 2025, anti-foreigner, or nativist, groupings set an ultimatum for all undocumented immigrants living in South Africa to leave the country by 30 June 2026.
Several other nativist organisations mounted the bandwagon. The campaign steadily snowballed, with several political parties indicating their alignment with the call…

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Lack of community participation: Limited involvement of communities in decision-making processes.

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