Revisiting the Strategies for the Prevention of Xenophobia in Post-Apartheid South Africa

South Africa has been battling recurrent xenophobic attacks since the attainment of democratic rule in 1994, with major incidences in 2008, 2015 and 2017. This study examined the efficiency of the strategies for preventing xenophobia in post-apartheid South Africa. A critical discourse analysis (CDA) was conducted on newspaper excerpts from South African tabloids (2015-2017), journal articles on xenophobia, and reports on xenophobic attacks. The results from the data revealed the following strategies: policy strategies, intergovernmental strategies, citizenship empowerment and educational strategies, state-civil society engagement, and technical and media-related strategies. This study developed a qualitative index to measure the efficiency of these strategies, and found three limitations: lack of sustainability, failure to address the root cause, and denial of the existence of xenophobia. In conclusion, the study revealed that there is a need to set long-term and sustainable strategies to prevent future xenophobic attacks in South Africa.