“We need to revisit grassroots legitimacy and trust.” shares Prof. Loren Landau (SARChI in Mobility and the Politics of Difference at the African Centre for migration & Society, Wits) , closing the Community Dialogue on Xenophobia.

On 20 August 2026, the Siyafuna Sonke Action Campaign brought together citizens, activists, and experts to confront the realities of exclusion in South Africa. The conversation was frank:

1. 2008 vs 2026: social media has changed everything.
2. Vigilante groups are organised, emboldened, and endorsed by inaction.
3. Court orders against Dudula have failed.
4. Media, through constant reporting and featuring vigilante groups/leaders, has legitimised the 30 June deadline.
5. Keeping migrants out of healthcare has hurt everyone.

Koketso Moeti challenged the room: “Does capturing the state mean we will receive services?”

The answer from the floor: faith in authority is gone. Alternative truths have taken root. And the task ahead is not just policy reform; it is rebuilding legitimacy from the ground up.

[Credit: Jaclyn Modise / ACMS]