Public Diplomacy and South Africa's Response to Xenophobia

The need to understand and know what is going on in the minds of an in-group vis-à-vis an out-group in South Africa is a function of effective, and practical public diplomacy (PD): a two-way approach to managing the supposedly battered relationships. This involve communication with and receiving from the affected party and the values they share. PD is geared towards shaping the thoughts of and forming relationships with other societies. It entails the enlargement of the ideological, economic, cultural and political spheres of influence of a country on a very broad front. The study sought to answer the question of whether South Africa has been able to explore the instrument of public diplomacy in managing the prevailing culture of xenophobia in the country. This article explored this gap through the lenses of scapegoating theory of xenophobia. Using the purposive sampling method, the study found that xenophobia in South Africa was borne out of frustration and dissatisfaction. It concluded that the future of South Africa's socio-economic development lies in collaboration with other states with a consciously framed policies as well as constructive and positive media reporting to mitigate the possibly devastating effects of xenophobia on South Africa's image globally.