South Africa is experiencing significant anti-immigrant sentiment, with some citizens engaging in door-to-door searches for undocumented migrants and demanding their deportation. This wave of xenophobia, while appearing primitive, has deeper roots in a socialist economic perspective that views wealth and resources as a zero-sum game, according to one analysis.
Unlike the vigilantism seen in South Africa, U.S. border enforcement operates within the framework of established immigration laws. The author suggests a divergence in political approaches to immigration enforcement, with one party allegedly delaying enforcement for potential future political gains from migrants turned citizens, while the other is divided between a business faction favoring open borders for labor and a faction prioritizing law enforcement. The latter, associated with Donald Trump's presidency, is seen as actively enforcing existing laws despite opposition.
The situation in South Africa following the end of apartheid in 1994 saw relaxed border controls leading to an influx of migrants into what was then sub-Saharan Africa's wealthiest nation. This coincided with a surge in crime, some of which was linked to foreign syndicates. The post-apartheid government, struggling with a weakened police force and corruption, failed to adequately address these challenges. This institutional failure, the argument goes, eroded public trust in law enforcement, fostering an environment where ordinary citizens resort to vigilantism, particularly in poorer communities.
Centuries of racial discrimination have also contributed to a tendency towards stereotyping and group identity politics in South Africa, influencing black South Africans to target black African foreigners. However, a key factor identified is the pervasive habit of viewing economics as a zero-sum game, where immigrant success is perceived as a direct loss for South Africans, regardless of individual effort or capital risk.
This zero-sum economic thinking is not exclusive to South Africa and is described as a Western import, central to Marxism and its modern iteration, "democratic socialism." The article draws a parallel to political discourse in the U.S., referencing instances where wealth accumulation, such as that of Elon Musk (who was born in South Africa), is criticized, and proposals like a "billionaire tax" are debated. This reflects a societal inclination toward envy, contrasting with the American cultural ideal of "self-interest properly understood," as described by Alexis de Tocqueville, where individual success is seen as potentially enriching the community.
The author concludes that the xenophobia in South Africa, though seemingly unsophisticated, shares characteristics with historical instances in Europe where nationalism intersected with socialism. The piece expresses gratitude for U.S. leadership committed to enforcing immigration laws and for the American culture of tolerance and economic freedom, posited as an antithesis to socialism.