The brutal murder of Emmanuel Sithole in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra is a frightening sign of the potential for ethnic divisions to destroy social cohesion and economic growth. It undermines the moral leadership that South Africa has been able to exercise since the end of apartheid. It is part of a pattern of Afrophobia and hatred directed at migrants from other parts of Africa.
A chilling article connects the violence on the township streets to attitudes in corporate boardrooms and failures of political leadership. With Africa such a key market for South African companies, the reaction of consumers across the continent is likely to result in economic damage. As always in cities, everything affects everythng else and actions have impacts far beyond administrative boundaries.
