Refugee Digest 78 – Migrants, Refugees and Displaced Persons by Peter-John Pearson

The horrific fire in a Johannesburg building that killed 76 people at the end of August, and which was widely understood to be the worst residential fire in South African history, also provided the trigger for a torrent of xenophobic sentiment. The dominant narrative revolved around illegal foreign nationals being in different ways responsible for the fire. Thus the issue became less about the neglect of buildings, failures of safety regulations, and dire corruption, and instead became solely focussed on who occupied the space.

Refugee Digest 78 – Migrants, Refugees and Displaced Persons by Peter-John Pearson