Riots not necessarily about xenophobia

One cannot fault the author for suggesting that poverty and inequality create violent and unhealthy societies, however, just because a riot is provoked by poor service delivery does mean it is not also driven by xenophobia. Jonathan Crush and his colleagues in the Southern African Migration Project have demonstrated the existence of xenophobia in South Africa (where it is violent) and in Zimbabwe and even in Botswana where they do not set people on fire). Xenophobia is not a shanty town problem it is institutionalised in the South African police force, and Immigratio Department of Home Affairs, and yes National Party ideology is partly to blame for the fact that until recently major rugby games were not played in Soweto and white rugby fans had never been there, because they believe it is hostile enemy territory. South Africans (and other nationalities too!)are afraid of the other, who is not always a foreigner and that is the xenophobia we cannot deny.