A Systems Thinking Approach to Mitigating Xenophobia in South Africa for Socio‐Economic Development

Economic growth in South Africa has led to significant influx of migrants, especially from the African continent, searching for greener pastures. The influx of migrants in South Africa has given rise to competition for scarce resources between locals and migrants. The competition between these two groups culminated in violent attacks on migrants by locals. The rate and magnitude of these attacks on migrants significantly challenged the South African government's capacity to respond and develop strategies to curb these attacks effectively. The poor capacity to address these violent attacks has serious socioeconomic consequences for the economy. As such, this study used systems thinking tools such as the Driver‐Pressures‐States‐Impacts‐Responses (DPSIR) framework and Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) to identify key social, economic, cultural and institutional drivers influencing xenophobia in South Africa. In addition to the analysis of literature on xenophobia, data was collected through interviews with major stakeholders in disaster and emergency management in South Africa. Major drivers and response strategies were identified, and causal relationships were established among the different socio‐cultural, economic and political drivers. The results show that education and public awareness against xenophobia and improvement of government policies to promote inclusiveness, poverty reduction, and improved livelihoods can significantly reduce xenophobia in South Africa.