What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to highlight the necessity of hate crime legislation to address violence against foreign nationals and sexual minorities.

March 10, 2026Open Access

South Africa - a home for all? The need for hate crime legislation

Key Points

The aim is to highlight the necessity of hate crime legislation to address violence against foreign nationals and sexual minorities.
Analysis of current hate crime trends in South Africa
Discussion of civil society's calls for legislative action
Examination of targeted violence against marginalized groups
Evidence of increasing hate and bias-motivated crimes in South Africa
Specific violence directed at foreign nationals and sexual minorities identified
Legislation needed to improve responses to hate-driven violence

Abstract

The South African government is currently developing legislation on hate crimes. This follows repeated calls by civil society for an appropriate response to the apparent scourge of hate and bias-motivated crimes that tarnish the image of South Africa as a ‘rainbow nation’. This article is aimed at informing related policy debates and provides discussion of violence targeted at foreign nationals and at those who are (or perceived to be) sexual minorities and/or gender non-conforming. This will give an indication of the trends and challenges that the proposed legislation and policy frameworks will need to address.

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Cite This Study

Breen et al. (Tue,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69af956970916d39fea4cfda https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3108/2011/i38a851

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