Chinese immigrants in South Africa have not been spared from the violent, anti-immigrant riots that have swept across Durban and Johannesburg, two of the country’s largest cities. There have been reports of injuries along with at least 40 business that were ransacked and looted. Most of those business were small, independent shops, not any of the 20 vast China Malls that are spread across Johannesburg. Surprisingly, those China Malls have not been impacted by the xenophobic violence.
University of Minnesota doctoral student Mingwei Huang is conducting ethnographic research on the China Malls in Johannesburg and joins Cobus to discuss why they have been untouched, so far, by the rise of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa.
Recommendations
- “Joburg’s China Malls Phenomenon,” Romain Dittgen, Think Africa Press, August 1, 2014
- “Chinese Mall Overhaul,” Brigitte Read, China Africa Reporting Project, March 4, 2014