Migrants for South Africa dey fear xenophobia afta election as kontri shift to multi-party goment

Di move wey South Africa don make enta multi-party goment don leave plenti pipo to dey worry about di kontri future.

South Africa foreign workers dey particularly worried.

Xenophobia to pipo for oda kontris wey be migrant for South Africa don dey gada ginger for plenti years, dis na according to di workers wey BBC follow tok.

Di African Centre for Migration & Society don dey monitor xenophobic attacks for South Africa since 1994.

Kasala bin rise for 2008 and again for 2022 wen 110 attacks bin dey recorded. For 2023, dem record 61 attacks, wey cause ova one thousand pipo to run comot dia house.

For dis general election campaign, di candidates toking points bin shift to tok-tok against foreigners dem.

Campaign focus

Marisa Lourenço, wey be political analyst from Johannesburg tok say, "sadly, e don show say na beta way to get votes, wit dat anti-migrant tok." She add say most of di parties don jump on bandwagon.

Di analyst tok say growing discontent sake of say jobs dey go to foreign workers, wey no be big issue bifor, don become a central political concern, wey rise during dis campaign.

She tok say, "e don always dey part of di political tok-tok, but e bin dey undercover so e dey part of policy making but no be di koko. Now e dey part of evribodi campaign strategy".

Even though na black Africans dis mata dey affect pass, Lourenço say e dey also affect members of di Southeast Asian community.

'Xenophobia na problem here'

Emmanuel Baani wey originally come from Kumasi, Ghana, say, "Problem wit xenophobia dey here for South Africa."

"As foreigner, you gatz position yourself well. You gatz get your papers well, You gatz enta through di right way. And if you dey di kontri, you gatz do beta tin, be beta worker."

Banni bin enta Johannesburg for early 2014 come move go di Kwa-Zulu Natal province to work for 2018. E now dey work for di retail for Jozini and dey also manage di Ghanaian Workers Association for di area.

E say, "Di biggest problem any migrant get for South Africa na paperwork. Home Affairs don full wit permits."

Baani describe di kain stress and delay foreign workers dey face to get dia papers in order. E say e also apply to "any permit wey you need" wey include di new smart identity card and work permits.

E say di biggest tension na bicos of new job opportunities.

"Me myself I come here wit my own job for years, and wit di help of di community I don establish myself, so I neva get any issue wit any kontri pesin especially Zulus. Dem dey support us to work. So personally I neva face xenophobia. But we don see am for places wia companies dey hire foreigners pass citizens," e tok.

Thomas wey be Nigerian PhD student wey enta South Africa few years ago gree say xenophobia dey obvious. But e tink say wia e bad pass na for undocumented immigrants.

"Yes di political landscape now dey xenophobic and e explain why among students for instance di number of foreigners don drop wella.

"I no dey in support of illegal immigrants and I tink say na wetin most pipo no like. Illegal immigrants plenti for our kontri," Thomas tok.

"For me personally, whoeva enta power, I no tink say e go affect me like dat bicos I dey legal, I get my papers well, so I no get anytin to fear."

Albert Mpazayabo, Rwandan social scientist wey dey live and teach for Cape Town say e don see pattern for elections for di 27 years wey e don dey South Africa.

E say refugees, asylum seekers and foreign workers dey lumped togeda and become "scapegoats for policy makers" and dem no dey even separate dis groups well. Dem dem go pack di plenti economic and social wahala for di kontri afta Apartheid put am for foreign workers.

“E dey totally unfair and counterproductive to blame evritin on di presence of foreign nationals,” e tok.

Coalition goment?

Afta shocking election defeat wey cause di ruling African National Congress party to lose dia majority, dia tok-tok pesin tok on Thursday say dem dey move to get goment of unity, say di voters want make all parties work togeda.

Chatham House analyst Christopher Vendome tok say wit style to move pass ANC domination fit dey seen by some as progress.

But e warn say coalitions get poor record for South Africa politics or local levels, "and di general elections fit just be di start of five years of kasala as local elections dey set to happun for 2026".

Cosmos G. Michael wey come from Ethiopia and dey live for Durban for di KwaZuluNatal province say di kasala wey years of xenophobia don cause dey dia so e no sure say coalition goment go make any ogbonge change for im life for di next year.

E tok about di controversial White Paper wey come from di Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaled, wey be proposed roadmap to comot South Africa from di United Nations Refugee Convention.

"Although wen di coalition happun, we bin hope say di current minister of home affairs no go dey dia again, na wetin evri refugee dey expect from di new goment," e tok.

"Dat na big worry for me. I no want worse migration laws dan di one wey dey ground now."

Michael wey enta South Africa for 2007 and dey work as interpreter say e dey worry ova any future coalition goment.

E describe di views of di Patriotic Alliance and Action SA parties on refugees as "veri dangerous", even as human right organisations don dey raise opposition to dia policies.

But e say e no dey as worried about di new party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), ANC and DA parties.

"Dem get clear view on migrants, but dem no be red flag for refugees - dem no be ant-migrants," e tok.

Wit contributions from Marco Oriunto and Nomsa Maseko for Durban