Centre for Civil Society Seminar Series
CAMPAIGNS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT!
Please join us for a special seminar series on civil society campaigns you need to know about!
The first of these campaigns is the Africa Solidarity Network (ASONET) which works towards building social cohesion and eradicating xenophobia in South Africa.
Title: Unpacking the crisis – The political blockade of migrant health In South Africa
Speaker: Percy Nhau
Date: Thursday 26 February – 13:00-14:00
Link:https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/37713355824408?p=dGarEZt6ZoKVLKBwbv
About the seminar: The narrative of the “foreign other” has become a potent tool. In the run-up to elections, scapegoating migrants for service delivery failures is a low-cost, high-impact strategy. This rhetoric, amplified by certain political parties, directly translates into policy paralysis and a chilling effect within government departments, making the implementation of non-discriminatory health policies a political risk. In an environment of high unemployment and strained public resources, the myth that migrants are “draining the system” is allowed to flourish. This creates a tinderbox of public resentment, where citizens, themselves struggling, are pitted against non-citizens for access to basic services. The true, complex drivers of economic challenges are obscured by this simplistic and dangerous narrative. This political and economic rhetoric has fermented into a tangible social and health care access crisis. Groups like Operation Dudula and others are not spontaneous community movements; they are the symptom of a political failure. They are the grassroots manifestation of top-down xenophobic rhetoric, now acting as de facto enforcement agencies, intimidating migrants and even healthcare workers, and physically blocking access to clinics.
Speaker bio:
Percy Nhau is a, researcher, and human rights advocate dedicated to bridging digital and social divides across the African continent. Currently serving as the Director of the Africa Solidarity Network (ASONET) in Durban, South Africa, Percy uniquely combines his background in information technology with a deep commitment to social cohesion and migrant protection.