| dc.description.abstract | South Africa has been praised by many as having the most democratic constitution in the world
which safeguards the rights of all who live within the borders of the nation. Ironically this has
not been so with migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers, mainly of African origin. Attacks on
these groups have been on the increase since the 1990s with little protection of their rights and
dignities by the South African authorities. Many of the attacks reported takes place in townships
and informal settlements which is mostly inhabited by black South Africans. The purpose of this
study was to investigate the attacks on Somali traders in the township of Khayelitsha.
The study adopted the theory of prejudice functionalism and relative deprivation theory. In
addition, the Scape-goat hypothesis, the isolation hypothesis and the Bio-cultural hypothesis
theories were also applied through the study. Qualitative research approaches were used to probe
into the attacks against Somali traders in the township of Khayelitsha. Analysis of data was done
through content analysis where data was presented thematically by narratives that relate to the
study objectives.
The findings indicate that the major causes for xenophobia operated in a cycle that has four
stages. Hatred causes of the attacks by the local community, which are criminal in nature.
Finally, once the attacks have subsided, the Somali traders cope by opening up new shops; either
within Khayelitsha or in other areas. After some time; the cycle repeats itself. The behaviour of
government officers in different departments also displayed acute hatred for the Somalis and as a
result, the service delivery of those departments was not satisfactory. The study therefore
recommended that the government should put in place a mechanism where the victims can
access justice. This starts from reporting at the police to the investigation and prosecution of
culprits in courts of law. | |
