A toxic brew of frustration is behind the flare-up of looting in SA - IRR

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has warned that South Africa is at a risk of seeing a repeat of the May 2008 xenophobic crisis which left 62 people dead.

"Mob violence in Johannesburg and elsewhere in Gauteng highlights once again the consequences of governance and economic failure," said IRR spokesperson Kelebogile Leepile.

The warning comes as looting and violence continue to flare up in various parts of the country, with many foreign nationals fearing for their lives.

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Leepile said senior figures in leadership positions at municipal, provincial and national levels had made reckless comments that could stir hostility.

“A mere week ago, Gauteng premier David Makhura indicated that his administration intended to stop foreigners from operating particular types of businesses.

"However, the IRR cautions against ascribing the ongoing violence solely to xenophobia. Rather, as it argued in 2008, what is at play is a toxic brew of frustration caused by unmet socio-economic aspirations, rising unemployment, grinding poverty and failing service provision," Leepile said.

She said dealing with the violence plaguing the country - while the World Economic Forum is under way in Cape Town - demanded that constructive and productive economic policies be put in place to offer South African citizens a place in the economy.

"It requires that governance failures be addressed through, above all, a proper professionalisation of the civil service. It makes the proper application of the law and the rule of law non-negotiable, and it calls for leadership to measure its conduct and not inflame passions that will ultimately be ruinous for society as a whole," said Leepile.