Scapegoating and disinformation about the fire spread rapidly. Various politicians blamed illegal immigrants and civil society organisations who had no involvement whatsoever with the building.

The tragic fire at a building in Marshalltown, central Johannesburg on 31 August 2023 has once again brought politically driven xenophobia into focus.

Instead of political leaders conducting themselves with empathy and respectful regard for persons affected by the fire, various politicians blamed illegal immigrants and civil society organisations who had no involvement whatsoever with the building and had never previously litigated in respect of it.

That a number of politicians believe that the laws of the country are part of the problem is an indictment on the state of South Africa's political landscape.

Scapegoating and disinformation about the fire spread rapidly. Without the nationality of those who lost their lives being confirmed, political leaders made pronouncements about illegal foreign nationals in a manner that suggests that to them the lives of the men, women and children lost in the fire matter less because they assume that they were not South Africans.

Disturbingly, the politics of xenophobic hatred is increasingly being used as an appeal to secure parties votes in the 2024 elections and this appears to be going largely unchecked.

Organised attacks

In the lead-up to the 2024 elections, the presence of foreign nationals in South Africa has been...