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Migrants are liminal in different aspects of their lives; physical, mental, ethnic and social. It is the social attitudes which emanate and influence xenophobic behaviour that is one of the most obvious forms of social ‘othering’ that the migrants experience from South Africans. The migrants are structurally invisible yet visible in the sense that South African policy (Oucho and Crush, 2001: 147; see page 2-4) discriminates against them in various ways and is not explicit in naming or developing ways confronting the multi-faceted challenges regarding migration and migrants. The participants are subject to xenophobic discrimination and report that “xenophobia is feared … (and) worrying (and) may come this side (to Port Elizabeth)” according to Peace. The most common expression of xenophobia is name-calling, explicitly referred to by five of the six participants. The participants all trade in a certain area of Port Elizabeth and they arrive to set up their stock early in the morning when rush- hour traffic is at its peak. Gift reports that “some … (South Africans) when passing by in a ‘bakkie’ going to work maybe, in (the) morning or evening from work. They shout “Go home! (They) say: You must go home now”. This directive is usually accompanied by the label that South Africans have adopted for foreign migrants so that South Africans commonly shout “Hamba Kwerekwere!” according to Friend and this happens on a daily basis according to Gift. Xenophobia is mentioned by Praise as the reason he cannot speak his language and this prevents him from feeling free. Praise is conscious of his foreign status which prevents him from feeling at ease and his connection between xenophobia and language is significant. Language is an important cultural signifier and can be a source of tension between peoples who cannot understand each others’ language as Meyer (2007: 61) observed. This is especially so in a setting in which xenophobia has already surfaced.

Xenophobic verbal threats and physical violence is constantly in the awareness of the participants. The interviews began in the middle of June 2010 at the height of the Soccer World Cup and ended in late August. During the World Cup, the participants were even more aware of xenophobia and they feared its resurgence just after the final game had ended. As the participants prepared to leave, we did our last interviews and their comments attest to their preoccupation with xenophobia. In our last interview, Gift was quiet and anxious. As we discussed fears of xenophobic violence during the mass exodus of Zimbabwean migrants after the World Cup, he loudly exclaimed: “Xenophobia! I must go home, I must go home! It’s not all the people who are

stealing jobs - some are working on (their) own. We pay money at (the) border to declare goods - contributing to the economy. Therefore, (we are) not a drain, not necessarily stealing jobs!” These comments illustrate the accusations that South Africans level at migrants - that they steal jobs and are fearful that migrants will also steal their women, according to Peace and Praise.

Although xenophobic violence is aimed at those who are perceived as using up resources and stealing jobs and women, xenophobic rage is often indiscriminate. In addition, as illustrated by Gift, migrants believe that they are contributing to the South African economy. According to Friend, the targets of xenophobia are thus “(t)he innocent (who) … get hurt in the crossfire … (and so) many Zimbabweans are leaving”. To Friend, “(p)eople here are selfish, we are all Africans … you expect positive relations with people (instead) People here are ready to be violent … (like) (i)n Cape Town … (where) shacks were brought down, burned (and) a woman was locked in and burned”. The media acts as a warning forecast for Friend yet both Friend and Endurance believe that South African and global media perpetuate xenophobic attitudes.

They believe that global news focuses on negative news bulletins about Zimbabwe’s economic, social and political decline and South African media reports on and promotes the negative stereotypes of Zimbabweans held by officials and the public. Media focuses extensively on Zimbabwean migrant influx into South Africa and stimulates fear and anger amongst South Africans that the country’s resources are dwindling in the face of this onslaught (see Dibetle and Rossouw, 2009a; Dibetle and Rossouw, 2009b; Dibetle and Rossouw, 2009c). In South Africa “there is an image … (South Africans) (don’t) know Zimbabwe, (don’t) know Zambia ... (don’t) know nothing. The only information they depend on is the information they get from a newspaper, (and television) ... They think a Zimbabwean is the worst person ... with the lowest value” says Endurance. While South African media does, however report on xenophobia, according to Gift “(g)overnment and police don’t want bad publicity so (they) won’t admit xenophobia” exists or is a problem. Global interest in xenophobia in South Africa has been widespread since the 2008 outbreak of xenophobic violence. During the Soccer World Cup hosted by South Africa in June-

July 2010 “even the customers asked about it” and Gift was worried that even rumours would keep tourists and their foreign currency away.

The threat of xenophobic intolerance and the possibility of violence is a constant one in the lives of the participants. Friend, Endurance, Peace and Teacher have all been robbed in the townships and this is why they have moved to the city to work. They also live in the city to avoid being robbed as they enter the locations after a day’s work. Friend reports being ambushed by gangs as he and other traders got off the taxi. “They know what you are selling. ... When we get off the taxis, we used to go through a narrow way … a pedestrian pathway. They used to go in there for us, they were used to the times that we get home. We get off the taxis and find them there, they would ask for money from us … they just know that we are making money, we are the people making money”.

Although the participants’ comments emphasise xenophobic encounters with South Africans, Endurance notes that South African attitudes towards Zimbabweans can vary. Some describe Zimbabweans as “just so good … (and) they can work so hard you can use them to do this job. … (while) others can completely say, you know, I just hate them … I cannot stay with Makwerekwere people from Zimbabwe”. While Endurance’s comment indicates a positive response from those who employ Zimbabweans the emphasis of their comments is on the negative attitudes of those who refuse to tolerate them.

The participants seemed to live in a state of hyper-awareness of xenophobia, heightened due to their fears that future xenophobic outbreaks would occur once the World Cup was over. Their concern with xenophobia intensified closer to the end of the World Cup and closer to the time of their return home. Teacher, who became employed as a driver during the week, stated that he managed to deflect xenophobic behaviour towards him at work by “not answering back” but that the real protection came from the company who monitored staff behaviour. He also reported that his subsequent promotion caused other staff members to respect him. His position also gained him more power and status, which presumably protected him while at the same time identifying him more closely as under the protection of a higher chain of command.

In order to evade the possibility of xenophobic retaliation or discrimination, migrants must thus try to remain ‘hidden’. Yet remaining hidden is impossible if they are trading or working in a certain location which marks them obviously as foreigners. Trading does mark them as foreign since South Africans “don’t trade in town ... only in the locations” according to Peace. The migrants in this study are thus unable to camouflage themselves due to their work contexts and show little desire to fit in. None of the six indicates that they socially converse with South Africans, unsurprisingly, considering the xenophobic tensions between them. Other reasons they mention include that they are too busy, do not live in the same areas and spend most of the time with other Zimbabweans.