South Africa’s challenges, including the rising cost of living, unemployment, corruption and load shedding, have provided the perfect breeding ground for perpetrators of online anti-foreigner sentiments.
Foreigners are blamed for the deteriorating state of the country and linked to crime and service delivery challenges. This despite the lack of evidence.
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This conversation, driven by hashtags such as #PutSouthAfricaFirst, #WeWantOurCountryBack and #PutSouthAficansFirst, got more than three million mentions between January and May last year. On the ground, self-appointed watchdogs such as Operation Dudula have forcefully removed foreigners from homes and businesses.
The consensus in the online conversation remains that foreigners are one of, if not the main reason, South Africa is in the state it is currently in.
Analysing the anti-foreigner online conversation between 1 and 31 January 2023, the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change found posts that focused on the activities of alleged foreign drug dealers and misrepresented xenophobic views as patriotism received the most traction.
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According to the centre’s recent report, more than 80% of the mentions showed negative sentiment for foreigners, while only 5% showed positive sentiment. The centre developed a list of categories to better understand the tweets.
These include:
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This article was funded by the EU. Its contents are the responsibility of the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change
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