Belonging in a Time of Uncertainty

One of the most important questions confronting South Africa and the world today is not simply about migration. It is about belonging.

Who belongs in South Africa? Who belongs on the African continent? And perhaps, more fundamentally, what does it mean to belong at all?

These questions have come sharply into focus as anti-immigrant mobilisation has once again emerged in parts of South Africa. Marches, public statements and growing hostility towards foreign nationals have raised concerns about social cohesion and the possibility of renewed violence. While these developments are alarming, they are not unique to South Africa. They form part of a broader global moment in which migration, identity and belonging have become deeply contested.

Migration is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history, people have moved in search of safety, opportunity and dignity. They have fled war, persecution, environmental disaster and economic hardship. Entire societies have been shaped by movement across borders, regions and continents. South Africans are no exception. During apartheid, thousands of South Africans went into exile, seeking refuge in countries such as Zambia, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Others left in search of opportunities denied to them at home. Their experiences remind us that migration is often less about where people come from than about the conditions that compel them to move.

The twenty-first century has witnessed migration and displacement on a scale few could have imagined. The Syrian civil war, conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine and elsewhere have displaced millions of people and reshaped debates about migration, identity and belonging across the world. At the same time, anti-immigrant sentiment has gained traction in many countries, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty, rising living costs and declining trust in public institutions.

South Africa is not immune to these dynamics.

The current wave of anti-immigrant mobilisation is taking place against a backdrop of profound frustration. Many South Africans feel abandoned by institutions that are meant to serve them. Unemployment remains devastatingly high. Public infrastructure is deteriorating. Corruption has hollowed out state capacity. Communities struggle with crime, inadequate services and a growing sense that political leaders are either unwilling or unable to respond meaningfully to their concerns.

These frustrations are real and deserve serious attention. No society can ignore the anxieties of people who feel excluded from economic opportunity or who believe that public institutions are failing them.

Many South Africans raising concerns about migration insist that their concerns are not about migration itself, but about undocumented migration, criminal activity, drug trafficking, pressure on public services and the failure by the state to manage borders effectively. These concerns should not be dismissed out of hand. Every society has a responsibility to uphold the rule of law, manage migration fairly and effectively, and ensure that those who commit crimes are held accountable, regardless of nationality.

At the same time, we should be careful not to collapse complex challenges into simple explanations. Weak border management, organised crime, corruption and failures of governance cannot be reduced to the presence of migrants alone. Nor should the actions of individuals be used to define entire communities. Criminality is not a nationality. A democratic society requires us to distinguish between individual accountability and collective blame. When we fail to make that distinction, we risk deepening division while leaving the underlying problems unresolved.

South Africa has travelled this road before. The xenophobic violence of 2008 and 2015 took lives, injured and displaced many. Families lost homes, businesses, and livelihoods. were torn apart. The violence did not solve unemployment. It did not repair public infrastructure. It did not restore trust in government. It merely deepened suffering.

We should also remember our own history. During the struggle against apartheid, thousands of South Africans found refuge across the African continent and beyond. Countries such as Zambia, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe opened their doors to those fleeing political persecution. Many South Africans survived because others recognised their humanity before asking where they came from.

This history does not provide easy answers to contemporary policy questions. Every country has a responsibility to manage migration fairly, effectively and lawfully. But it does remind us that belonging cannot be reduced to documents, accents or place of birth alone.

Perhaps this is the deeper challenge before us.

Before we ask who belongs in South Africa, we should ask what belonging means. Is belonging simply a matter of nationality? Or does it also involve recognising our shared humanity and our interconnected destinies? In a world shaped by movement, migration and displacement, these questions become increasingly difficult to avoid.

The challenge facing South Africa, the African continent and the world is therefore not only one of migration. It is a challenge of leadership, governance and imagination. It is about how we respond when people feel unheard, when resources are scarce, and when fear begins to crowd out solidarity.

Simplistic explanations will not solve complex problems. Nor will hostility towards the vulnerable. If we are to build a society worthy of its democratic aspirations, we will need leaders capable of addressing the structural causes of exclusion while strengthening the bonds that hold communities together.

The question before us is not only who belongs.

It is whether we are capable of building a society in which everyone understands that they belong to one another.