. There was little institutional memory of similar social conflicts prior to 2008, such as in Masiphumelele informal settlement. There had been many instances of xenophobic attacks since 2001 but they were not recorded. This is despite the fact that in 1998 the Department of Social Development noted a high degree of xenophobia against illegal immigrants. It was only in 2008 that the Department drafted a concept paper upon exploring the impact of xenophobia.