Threats and violence against foreign nationals in South Africa have become a recurring feature of the country’s social and political landscape. Since the largest outbreak in May 2008, when 62 people were killed, in Gauteng, the Western Cape and other provinces, anti-immigrant violence has flared periodically, leaving behind deaths, displacement and deepening mistrust between communities.

Some observers describe these eruptions as almost seasonal, rising and receding with the national mood. In 2025 alone, 151 incidents were recorded, while in the first five months of 2026, a further 22 verified incidents were recorded, according to Prof Loren Landau and Dr Pierre Misago.

Others argue they have never truly disappeared. For many migrants, particularly Somalis, Ethiopians and other communities living alongside South Africa’s poorest citizens, the threat is a constant reality rather than an occasional crisis.

Yet this time may be different.

It is tempting to dismiss the latest attacks as simply another manifestation of xenophobia. Certainly, prejudice against foreigners forms part of the picture. But reducing the violence to xenophobia alone risks obscuring a more uncomfortable truth: South Africa’s migration crisis is increasingly a crisis of governance.

The central issue is not the presence of migrants. Countries around the world host foreign workers, students, traders, entrepreneurs and asylum seekers. The question is whether the state has a clear, credible and enforceable migration framework that defines who can enter, under what conditions they may stay, how they contribute to the economy, and how their status is monitored and regulated.

South Africa has struggled to provide such clarity. That goes a long way towards explaining why migrants from countries as far afield as Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan continue to see South Africa as a destination for opportunity. Yet the real policy challenge is not migration itself, but the absence of a credible framework to manage it effectively and fairly.

A coherent migration policy would clearly distinguish between categories of migrants, including skilled workers and temporary labour migrants. It would establish transparent pathways for residence and employment, identify sectors where foreign labour is needed, and ensure that permits are granted according to clearly defined criteria. It would also provide mechanisms for tracking compliance and addressing abuses of the system.

Instead, the reality has often been characterised by weak administration, inconsistent enforcement and corruption.

Over the years, significant numbers of migrants have obtained long-term residence or legal status through channels that were never intended by policy. Investigations have repeatedly exposed corruption within the Department of Home Affairs, where officials have been accused of selling permits, visas and residency documents.

Think back to the mid-2000s, when investigations uncovered syndicates helping foreign nationals obtain South African passports fraudulently and use them to gain entry to the United Kingdom. The problem became so serious that the UK cited passport fraud and document security concerns when it imposed visa requirements on South African travellers in 2009.

As the Institute for Security Studies has observed: “Weak institutions, not migrants themselves, are at the core of South Africa’s migration challenges. In February, the Special Investigating Unit found that ‘the immigration system has been treated as a marketplace,’ where permits and visas were sold through corrupt officials and other external actors.”

This diagnosis is important because it shifts attention to where responsibility belongs: the state.

When communities perceive that migration is unmanaged, that laws are selectively enforced, and that corruption determines who receives legal status, frustration inevitably grows. In conditions of high unemployment, poverty and poor service delivery, that frustration is often directed at the most visible targets rather than the institutions responsible for the failures. Foreign nationals become convenient scapegoats for broader socioeconomic grievances.

That does not justify violence. But it helps explain why the cycle continues.

The solution, therefore, lies not in periodic crackdowns or political rhetoric, but in rebuilding confidence that migration is being governed effectively.

First, South Africa needs a credible system for recording and monitoring entry, residence and employment status. Every person who enters the country should be accounted for through modern, digitised systems that allow authorities to know who is in the country and on what basis. This is standard practice in many countries and should not be confused with harassment of foreigners or racial profiling.

Second, the asylum and immigration systems must be strengthened and protected from corruption. Permits and residency rights should be granted according to transparent criteria, not the ability to pay bribes. Officials involved in fraud should face swift prosecution and dismissal.

Third, the government must develop a more realistic migration policy that reflects economic realities. South Africa will continue to attract migrants because it remains one of the continent’s most industrialised and largest economies. The challenge is not how to stop migration entirely, but how to manage it in a way that serves national interests while protecting human rights and social cohesion.

Finally, political leaders must stop exploiting migration as a convenient explanation for deeper structural problems – or an easy way to win votes. Unemployment, inequality, crime and failing public services cannot be solved by targeting foreigners. Nor can they be ignored by pretending that migration governance does not matter.

South Africa’s challenge is not simply xenophobia. It is the failure to manage migration in a manner that is lawful, transparent and credible. Until that failure is addressed, violence against foreign nationals is likely to remain a symptom of a much deeper crisis.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says reforms are underway, including the digitisation of immigration systems, the introduction of biometric registration for all foreign nationals in the country, and a crackdown on corruption and malfeasance among officials. Cabinet has also approved a revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, paving the way for new legislation.

These reforms represent a recognition that South Africa’s migration challenges cannot be addressed through vigilantism, periodic crackdowns or political rhetoric, but through a credible, transparent and enforceable immigration system.

The required changes cannot come soon enough.