South Africa's latest wave of anti-foreigner mobilisation began with the emotions linked to a missing person. Understanding why that matters is the difference between fighting symptoms and fighting the machine. In early 2026, emotional appeals about the disappearance of a young man, Mazwi Kubheka, spread across X under hashtags like #BringMazwiBack and #JusticeForMazwi. Within days, a community-driven search had mutated into a national anti-immigrant mobilisation, complete wi