South Africa’s renewed anti-migrant drive is now spawning deeper worries than just about public safety as economists and business leaders fear the country’s economy could sustain catastrophic harm owing to demonstrations, including a lack of labour and businesses being shut down because of the unrest.
The demonstrations, stemming from increasing angst about unemployment, crime and strain against public services have focused against foreign-owned companies and hired migrants in some communities.
Related News: Les Bleus March On: France Sink Morocco 2-0 to Storm Into World Cup Semi-Finals
Protest leaders say migrants have taken jobs from South Africans and gained economic opportunities and others say the demonstrations have been becoming increasingly xenophobic.
Economists warn unrest could have an unwelcome impact on South Africa’s already fragile economy.
Some migrant workers are involved in occupations where they are valuable such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, retail and informal work, and are especially in high demand in sectors companies report as challenging to replace. Prospective continuing attacks on foreigners, analysts say, could upset production, negatively impact employers’ productivity and operating costs.
Businesses have also voiced concerns that such abhorrent violence against migrants may have a negative impact on investor confidence when South Africa wants to attract foreign direct investment and boost the economy.
Related News: Stranded Nigerians Sleep Outside High Commission in South Africa, Demand Additional Evacuation Flights
Long periods of social unrest are typically regarded as a significant risk from an investors’ perspective, especially in relation to business operations and supply chain.
The protests have also damaged South Africa’s relations with some other African nations such as Nigeria, which has been strongly condemning attacks on its citizens.
Following these events, a number of Nigerians have been killed and calls for greater diplomatic pressure by Nigeria on Pretoria have been renewed, especially in the absence of proper security for foreigners.
South African police have denied committing violence in connection with protesting and clarified police are dealing with crimes associated with the demonstration.
There has been a step towards admitting that we need to deal with concerns about illegal immigration not by mob, but by lawful immigration enforcement.
“It will take a combination of better border control, more employment opportunities and economic changes and better community engagement to solve the crisis,”.
Related News: The Politics Of Continuity: Inside A Leader Who Chooses Institution Over Spotlight
Instead of tackling the underlying socio-economic reasons for the citizens’ anger, they imagine that frequent anti-migrant demonstrations could go on harming social cohesion and long-term economic viability of South Africa.
