Xenophobia, simply put, is the fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers; it is embodied in discriminatory attitudes and behaviour, and often culminates in violence, abuses of all types, and exhibitions of hatred.
Theoretically, the best, and only, solution is to remove enemy images; however, it is debatable whether this can be done. This paper looks at why xenophobia has pervaded South African attitudes, what has contributed to enemy images of foreigners, and how, if at all, such images can be removed from the national consciousness and how we can better the current situation.
It also looks at the issue from the perspective of those who experienced xenophobia through qualitative research conducted in Mbekweni, Paarl, Eastern Cape and Bloemfontein, Free State, in August 2013.
