Ubuntu Precepts and the Coverage of Xenophobic Discourses in South African Community Newspapers: An Afrocentric Systematic Critique
Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise 
Issue: Vol.5 No.6 Issue Article 9 pp.904-916
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024569 | Published online 14th June, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
In post-apartheid South Africa, community newspapers that publish in native languages were established to promote the values and principles of the new constitutional democracy. This paper critiques how the epistemic dominance and coverage of the xenophobic attack discourses in South African community newspapers in a way contradict the values and principles of Ubuntu as an African philosophy. The paper focuses on how such depictions, coverage and dominance could have the potential to perpetuate the legacy of colonialism and neocolonialism in the post-apartheid era and intensify divisions, devalue dignity, and undermine the unity of African societies. It argues that these colonial legacies of the past conflict with the values and principles of ubuntu, compromise social cohesion, and continue the ongoing neo-colonial discourses that separate and insinuate attacks on other African nationals. Reinforced by the framing theory of representation, this Afrocentric systematic review employed a purposive sampling technique to select at least twenty secondary research articles and theses published between 2015 and 2023 by searching various repositories. The selection of these texts was based on their online availability and accessibility. The paper used thematic analysis to explore the selected materials to develop the related themes and subthemes that informed the entire conversation. Moreover, the findings highlight how the perpetual discourses on xenophobic stereotypes, linguistic features, and expressions used in community newspapers to signify other African nationals could in a way, contradict significant values of ubuntu, communal living, and social cohesion that define the African dignity and unity.
Keywords: Community Newspaper, Immigrants’ Stereotypes, Social Cohesion, Ubuntu, Xenophobic Discourses
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Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Science at the University of South Africa (UNISA). He holds a doctoral degree in Media Studies from the University of Limpopo, South Africa. Prof. Makananise obtained a PG (dip)HE from Rhodes University. He also serves as an external examiner in other South African universities and as a reviewer in international and national scholarly journals. Prof. Makananise has authored and published academic articles in peer-reviewed and DHET-accredited journals. In addition, Prof. Makananise has presented papers at both national and international conferences. His research interests include new media technology, digital media, indigenous language media and social media, political communication, digital diplomacy, and news media consumption.
Makananise, Fulufhelo Oscar. “Ubuntu Precepts and the Coverage of Xenophobic Discourses in South African Community Newspapers: An Afrocentric Systematic Critique,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.6 (2024): 904-916. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024569
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
