The online conversation against immigrants in South Africa increased sharply in the lead-up to the recent national elections, reports the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC).
, the conversation became more intense due to the involvement of parties such as the Patriotic Alliance and ActionSA, who are known for their strong opposition to"illegal immigrants". Despite a lack of substantial evidence to support these claims, their supporters consistently hold foreigners responsible for socio-economic issues such as unemployment and crime.
Posts that garnered the most attention were those criticizing the Economic Freedom Fighters' pan-African stance, which was seen as a factor in the party's reduced performance in the elections. The EFF's representation fell from 44 seats in 2019 to 39 seats in 2024.. The MKP, under the leadership of former president Jacob Zuma, secured 58 seats but refused to be part of the GNU, instead joining an opposition alliance.
The #Abahambe hashtag is associated with the Patriotic Alliance and is being used by some individuals to spread allegations that"illegal" immigrants were responsible for various forms of crimes, while"others used it to show their support for the PA, reports CABC.). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material,, representing a diversity of positions on every topic.
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