Xenophobia in South Africa

Locals and immigrants have faced discrimination and even violence in South Africa due to competition for scarce economic opportunities. Xenaphobia has a long and complex history and many instances of state sanctioned Xenophobia can be found in South Africa’s history. For example, in 1820, poor English migrants or settlers sought a better life in the Zuurveld region and emigrated to this area under a government scheme. A series of Xhosa Wars had dispossessed Xhosa tribes of their land and had made this migration possible. This Xhosa dispossession / English expansion continued. In 1835, land west of the Kei River was annexed by Benjamin D’urban and then again in 1847, when the British Empire extended its influence beyond the Cape of Good hope into an undefined area and appointed Sir Harry Smith as Governor and High Commissioner of the Cape Colony. Who conquered the Ngqika and the Ndlambe, and re-annexed Kaffraria. Smith was also known for his pantomimes of power, including blowing up wagons when negotiating with local chiefs