Report Reveals Increase in Anti-migrant Rhetoric From Netizens

• A report by the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) revealed that there was a sharp increase in anti-migrant posts on social media
• The report pointed out that South Africans are becoming more aggressive in posting against migrants
• It revealed factors like border control, employment opportunities and crime as reasons for the spike in the number of posts

With nine years of experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist, provided insights into infrastructure challenges in South Africa at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG – South Africans are posting more negatively about migrants on social media than they did in January this year.

South African posts about anti-migrants increasing

According to SowetanLIVE, the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) released a report showing 311,000 online posts opposing migrants in South Africa. This is a sharp increase from the over 12,000 similar posts in January this year. A chunk of these posts were retweets, and the report pointed the finger at politicians using xenophobic rhetoric to get voters on their side.

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Politicians use xenophobic rhetoric: report

The report revealed that the tweets are fueled by issues like employment, crime involving immigrants and border control. It added that the high percentage was likely due to manipulation. Politicians are using the anti-migrant stance to garner more support towards the general elections on 29 May.

"Politicians using xenophobic rhetoric for electoral gain highlights the need for responsible discourse and policy interventions to address the underlying challenges," the report pointed out.

The report pointed out that South Africans usually blame foreign nationals for taking job opportunities for them. One example the report used to highlight the point was how the Patriotic Alliance patrolled the Beitbridge borders and was seen chasing Zimbabweans who were illegally crossing the border away and back into their own countries.

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Gaton McKenzie calls for deportation of George building collapse victims

Similarly, Briefly News reported that the Patriotic Alliance's president, Gayton McKenzie, demanded that immigrants who were victims of the George building collapse must be deported.

He added that the government should not waste resources on providing them with emotional support after officials pleaded for trauma counsellors who could speak Chewa, Portugues and Shona as many of the victims were from Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Source: Briefly News