Members of “March and March” and “Operation Dudula” chant anti-migrant slogans during a protest march in Durban, South Africa, in May 2026. Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images

South Africa’s anti‑migrant campaigns use the language of democracy: why that’s dangerous

Organisations behind the wave of xenophobia use the language of participation, community and people’s power to justify marginalisation.
Unions, farmworker groups and civil society protested against austerity at South Africa’s 2025 Budget Speech. Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images

G20 and the civil society elite: spectacle instead of meaningful action

This year’s G20 president, South Africa, hosts the G20 summit from 22 November in Johannesburg. But has civil society really been included in the talks?

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