Understanding Xenophobia in South Africa: Psychological Drivers of Perpetration and Barriers to Victim Reporting

Despite South Africa’s constitutional commitment to equality and protection for all, xenophobic violence continues to escalate. While xenophobia incidents persist, only a small proportion of incidents are reported. Understanding the psychological and social mechanisms that fuel xenophobic behaviour, alongside the barriers that prevent victims from reporting, is essential in a country facing a deeply rooted and recurring xenophobic climate, and this work aimed to address that. A multi-method design combining narrative synthesis and qualitative inquiry was employed. The narrative synthesis, guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, systematically reviewed 18 peer-reviewed South African studies published between 2008 and 2022 to identify psychological and dispositional determinants of xenophobic behaviour. In addition, 19 victims of xenophobic violence (12 men and seven women) took part in focus groups, which were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that an externalised locus of control, repression and displacement, and learned helplessness are key psychological factors underpinning xenophobic behaviour. Reporting barriers were both structural, such as extortion, lack of official support, and geographical distance from police stations, and psychological, including fear of retribution, secondary victimisation, and pervasive feelings of frustration, powerlessness, and hopelessness. Together, these insights highlight the interconnected nature of psychological vulnerability and systemic failure in sustaining xenophobic violence and silence in South Africa.