Eight O'Clock News, SABC3, 13 March 2000
SABC3 news footage, 1'30"
“A swoop on notorious Hillbrow has led to the arrest of over 600 illegal immigrants and drug dealers. Several hundred police officers, accompanied by the army and Home Affairs officials, led the massive operation into what’s been identified as a priority crime spot…”
So begins yet another media report that defines immigrants in terms of criminality. The tone of these media reports on ‘illegal’ immigrants is fuelling the fire of xenophobia in South Africa, and perpetuating the all too familiar social stereotypes of apartheid: aliens, outsides, strangers.
