fbpx

Xenophobia: Australia, China, UK Issue Travel Warnings Against South Africa

Xenophobia: Australia, China, UK Issue Travel Warnings Against South Africa

From Travel Pulse

The wave of violence during the last two weeks against immigrant communities in Durban and Johannesburg, South Africa, is now creating repercussions for the country’s travel industry.

Travel warnings against travel to South Africa have been issued in Australia, China, Hong Kong and the U.K.

The Australian government warned its citizens traveling in South Africa to “exercise a high degree of caution in South Africa due to the high level of serious crime.”

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government posted a warning on its website saying, “Residents intending to visit the country or who are already there should monitor the situation, exercise caution, attend to personal safety and avoid protests and large gatherings of people.”

China and the U.K. have issued similar warnings.

The warnings are in response to a recent wave of violence against immigrant communities in the cities of Durban and Johannesburg, as well as in the townships of KwaMashu and Umlaz in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The violence has been directed to immigrant communities who moved into South Africa during its post-apartheid renaissance. Immigrants from surrounding African countries have settled in South Africa and created communities, many of them becoming merchants.

But with South Africa’s 25 percent unemployment rate, many South Africans are struggling desperately. In some cases their frustration has boiled over into rage directed towards foreign nationals who have moved into their country and in many cases are faring better than the South African natives.

As is typical in situations of economic stress, some of the frustrated have focused their rage on those whom they perceive to be doing better than they are, perhaps taking their slice of the economic pie.

Read more at Travel Pulse