What is Xenowatch?
Developed by the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at the University of Witwatersrand, Xenowatch is an open source system for information collection, visualization and interactive mapping that allows crowdsourcing of information and data on xenophobic discrimination incidents in South Africa using the following reporting methods: Email, WhatsApp and Call. Xenowatch tracks, verifies, records and analyzes all forms of xenophobic discrimination as well as responses or interventions by all relevant stakeholders including government and civil society. It serves as an early warning system that notifies authorities and civil society about threats and violence and calls for immediate and appropriate response. Xenowatch data is analyzed to identify violence causal factors and characteristics of communities at risk in ways that can inform early warning and more effective conflict prevention/resolution interventions.
Reports & Publications
Exclusionary cohesion? Rethinking the nexus between social cohesion and xenophobic violence in South Africa
For years, social cohesion has been championed as a remedy for violence and division. But what happens when the very bonds that unite communities also mobilise them against outsiders? This new publication by Dr Jean-Pierre Misago (ACMS) draws on nearly two decades of multi-case qualitative research across South Africa, this article challenges the conventional wisdom.…
INVITE: The Current Status Quo on Migration and Health Data in Africa and Europe – 7 September 2026
Migration and Health Data in Africa and Europe – Where Do We Stand? Join the ACMS‘ Associate Professor and Co-Director Jo Vearey along with experts from Africa and Europe to discuss challenges, opportunities, and the way forward. Monday, 7 September 2026 12:00 – 13:00 CET Register to attend here. Despite the close link between migration…
VIDEO: Community Dialogue on Xenophobia recap
“Xenophobic discrimination is economical.” That was the message from Professor Loren Landau (SARChI in Mobility and the Politics of Difference at the African Centre for Migration & Society, Wits) at Thursday’s Community Dialogue on Xenophobia, hosted by the Siyafuna Sonke Action Campaign. Watch highlights from the conversation below: [Video Credit: Jaclyn Modise / ACMS]