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Is this not colonization?: Framing Sino-South African relations in South Africa’s mainstream press

Allen Munoriyarwa
University of Johannesburg
Albert Chibuwe
University of the Free State
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Copyright (c) 2022 Allen Munoriyarwa, Albert Chibuwe

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Is this not colonization?: Framing Sino-South African relations in South Africa’s mainstream press. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 41(1), 11-24. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v41i1.1392
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  • Submited: August 5, 2022
  • Published: August 5, 2022

Abstract

Drawing on a media-centric framing theory, and utilising qualitative framing analysis, we examine how selected mainstream newspapers in South Africa framed Sino- South Africa relationships. We observe the ubiquity of negative anti-Chinese frames in the South African mainstream media. We demonstrate that these largely negative frames on China clustered around key issues: its economic relationship with South Africa; human rights issues; and China’s political ties with African regimes. We argue that the negative frames were a result of newspapers’ sourcing routines. Furthermore, we argue that anti-Chinese frames in the South African media sync neatly with a growing negative public perception of China, sustained by global media especially in the West and the US.

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How to Cite
Is this not colonization?: Framing Sino-South African relations in South Africa’s mainstream press. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 41(1), 11-24. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v41i1.1392

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