By Fortune Madondo

South Africa’s role as the continent’s financial anchor has come under sharp scrutiny, with analysts warning that entrenched global capital interests and unresolved apartheid legacies are driving deep socio-economic divides and fueling xenophobic violence.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) remains Africa’s corporate epicentre, channelling foreign direct investment through mining, retail, energy, and telecommunications multinationals. Yet, three decades after majority rule, South Africa faces mounting pressure to transform its domestic economy while still serving international investors.

Critics argue that this tension has created what some describe as a “global capital slave plantation,” where global capitalists act as masters, ruling elites as overseers, and marginalised communities as the exploited workforce.

Instead of tackling structural inequality, political actors and vigilante groups exploit frustrations, turning citizens against African migrants in what activists call a betrayal of Pan-African ideals.

A Nation Of Stark Contrast

According to the World Bank, South Africa has one of the highest levels of economic inequality globally. These inequalities are the reasons for frustration decades after the majority rule in 1994. Mpho Makhubela, a member of the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) and an activist in the Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX) coalition, noted with concern the opportunistic nature of these groups.

“Vigilante groups feed off the country’s frustrations and socioeconomic rights regression, unemployment, and lack of efforts to address the equity gaps that we have as a country”, he said.

“The reality is that the country has been faced with the enormous task of addressing the legacies of apartheid”, he stated.

Legacies

Socio-economic divide

The legacy of apartheid and current forces & developments still sustain and drive an agenda of divide and rule within the SA society. Decades after the attainment of majority rule, SA remains a society with a stark gap between affluent, historically privileged groups and historically impoverished and marginalised populations. And who benefits from such a stark contrast- global capital. Such a society of stark economic contrast guarantees, at the same time, both a huge market and a huge pool of supply of cheap labour.

Ethnic divide

Social cohesion across South Africa’s diverse ethnic and cultural landscape is often challenged by economic desperation, sometimes translating into mistrust and distrust issues, leading to tension and violence with or against other groups or foreigners. Studies frequently show weakened social bonds and high mistrust within and among communities struggling with these historical legacies and structural barriers. Therefore, unfulfilled independence dreams coupled with high unemployment fuel anger against foreign nationals, who are often scapegoated for competing for limited jobs and scarce local resources.

Spatial divide

The legacy of forced geographic separation during apartheid remains structurally embedded in modern cities. The disparity between under-resourced, isolated townships and well-developed urban centres limits access to economic opportunities and hinders social integration.

Lynch Syndrome In Action

Divide and Conquer

The SA context just reveals how differences that lead to Xenophobia & Afrophobia are exploited, especially when towards local or national elections. Local politicians and hyper-nationalistic groups exploit these ethnic and socio-economic disparities to turn indigenous South African citizens against African foreign nationals. Typical of divide and rule.

Perpetuation of Envy, Fear and Hate

The Willie Lynch methodology dictates that sowing distrust and fear makes marginalised groups “self-refuelling and self-generating” in their mindset, leading to continuous, if not generational, fear, envy or hate and in this case, of foreigners. In SA, this is reflected in the scapegoating of immigrants, who are often wrongfully accused of “stealing jobs” or resources, distracting the populace from broader economic structural inequalities and mismanagement. Real fear or envy is the emotion behind hatred and violence in xenophobic and afrophobic violent outbursts. Some mislead South Africans genuinely and wrongly believe foreigners are the reasons for their economic suffering, unemployment and general economic inequality; such a mindset is either envious, fearful or hateful of foreigners. It is these emotions driven or encouraged by the divisive power of the “Lynch syndrome” that is behind xenophobic and afrophobic violence.

Internalized Colonialism

He who fights a monster (apartheid) should be careful not to end up being a monster himself or herself. These are the psychological insights psychology teaches us. And in the world of psychology, a victim can easily transform into a perpetrator. South Africans themselves, being victims of apartheid violence, a generation later, post- 1994, are exhibiting internalisation of historical trauma and the “divide” mechanisms used during Apartheid. The “Willie Lynch syndrome” relies on the oppressed adopting the tools and philosophies of their former slavemaster (colonisers). And in SA, sadly, this might be the case. The result, an orgy of xenophobic and afrophobic violence and hostilities.

Psychology of Xenophobia

Steven Pieter stated that Black South Africans would never attack a white person or ask White people for documents because, according to him, they know that White people are the backbone of the SA economy. Or to use the Lynch concept, they (perpetrators of xenophobic & afrophobic violence) have been conditioned to “respect, trust  & depend” on non-Africans, white people especially. A Pan- Africanist Congress (PAC) leader questioned what he described as the selective targeting of black Africans in South Africa’s xenophobia and immigration discussions.

“Why does xenophobia affect only black people? What about cartels from Italy? What about the Israelites who run businesses illegally? What about white people who are in the country illegally? Chinese who hire illegal immigrants and are in the country illegally themselves”,  he asked.

Are all undocumented foreigners treated equally in South Africa, or does public attention focus more on certain groups than others? The answer may lie in the effects of the”Lynch syndrome”. Legacy of colonialism, apartheid emphasises differences, not only race, ethnic, spatial, but also socio-economic. Reckless politicians, hyper-nationalists, especially when moving towards election time, tend to raise “anti- foreigners” sentiments. Unfortunately, the result is xenophobic and afrophobic violence.

Selective Xenophobia or Afrophobia

Such a phenomenon is known as “Selective xenophobia”, referring to the distinct, disproportionate targeting of Black African migrants—particularly from neighbouring nations like Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Nigeria- while white, Asian, and other non-African groups typically face little to no hostility or scrutiny. Why the localised, anti-Black bias? This hostility is deeply rooted in the psychology of the “Lynch concept” as well as the legacy of colonial-era and apartheid hierarchies of social stratification and belonging. Blackness is coded as “foreign,” “disposable,” or “criminal,” while white is coded as “investors” or legitimate “expatriates”. According to PAC,  “selective xenophobia” or “Afrophobia” is a betrayal of Pan-African ideals.

Afterthought

Socio-economic divide, ethnic divide, spatial divide, internalised colonialism create mistrust and distrust, fear and envy between and among groups (socio-economic, ethnic), which creates a fertile ground for anti-immigrant sentiment. Competition for scarce jobs, housing, and social services leads to friction and violence between local South African communities and migrants from other African nations. But Afrophobic and Xenophobic violence in SA is a betrayal of the project of one united Africa. It is self- sabotage to “Africa by  Africans”. Instead of challenging structural inequalities within the global capital-dominated SA economy, and righting the wrongs of apartheid legacy, Afrophobia & Xenophobia shift focus on that and instead scapegoats so- called foreigners. Africa needs to wake up and realize their struggle are intertwined, the same. Africa should not give in to division. And the biggest question one needs to ask is: who benefits when Africans turn on each other?

In essence

Afrophobia and Xenophobia are giving in to William Lynch’s prophecy. Africa needs to work together towards challenging the unequal and unfair legacy of colonialism, apartheid, neo-colonialism, and some globalisation forces keeping Africa down. But this is not going to happen when Africa and Africans focus on colonially manufactured differences. As long as Africa is divided and manufacturing division, hate, fear, envy, distrust and scapegoating each other, perpetrating violence on each other because of ethnic or nationality differences, then we are still slaves, behaving like slaves, under “Lynch Syndrome” in the early 18th century, William Lynch’s sugar plantation.

F. Madondo (African Teacher) fortmada123@gmail.com