Addressing Xenophobia through Peacebuilding Processes in South Africa: Successes, Challenges and Prospects

While the history of xenophobia in South Africa dates back to pre-1994; the scope, intensity, brutality and severity of the violence, hostilities and discrimination against foreign nationals in the post-1994 era in South Africa have worsened. The Government of South Africa, in partnership with various stakeholders, has been implementing different peacebuilding activities that have been aimed at preventing the recurrence, escalation and continuation of xenophobic attacks. This article reflected on the successes, challenges and prospects of addressing xenophobia in South Africa through peacebuilding interventions. Methodologically, the article utilised secondary data from various sources for analysis while the concepts of xenophobia and peacebuilding provide conceptual frameworks of analysis for the study. The study revealed that while substantive policies, laws, action plans and institutional structures have been formulated and established at national, provincial and local levels to address xenophobia in South Africa, these interventions are not sufficiently broad-based and grassroots-oriented to address structural and root causes of xenophobia in South Africa. Similarly, the adopted peacebuilding initiatives are largely reactive than proactive, and they do not sufficiently reflect the critical pathways, components and fundamental dimensions of comprehensive and durable peacebuilding. To comprehensively address xenophobia, the study, therefore, recommended that it may be necessary to address deep-rooted socio-economic development challenges, poverty, unemployment and inequality in South Africa. It also recommended the strengthening of law enforcement and justice delivery system.