South Africa: Have South Africans Always Been Hostile to Migrants? Historians Map a Chequered History

What the report says

South Africa’s renewed anti-immigrant violence, which the supplied article says flared again in March 2026, prompted a historical analysis by scholars writing for The Conversation Africa and republished by AllAfrica. The piece says an estimated 56,000 Malawians and 115,000 Zimbabweans were displaced over the following months, with at least 11 foreign nationals killed. It also notes that President Cyril Ramaphosa took months to publicly condemn the unrest, while groups such as Operation Dudula and March and March were among the leading protest movements.

The article places the current crisis in a longer political and labour history. Its authors argue that hostility toward migrants in South Africa is not new, tracing it back to the early 20th century and the formation of the African National Congress in 1912. They describe recurring tensions over jobs, wages and public services, and cite examples of anti-migrant rhetoric and violence in the 1920s, including attacks on Malawian migrants in Johannesburg.

At the same time, the analysis highlights periods of cooperation between South African activists and migrant workers. It points to trade union organising led by figures such as Clements Kadalie and to wartime labour struggles that included workers from across southern Africa. The authors say this history shows both exclusionary and solidaristic traditions, helping explain why today’s violence reflects an old pattern rather than an isolated event. The broader significance is that debates over migration remain tightly linked to labour, nationalism and post-apartheid politics.