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The resurgence of xenophobic attacks on targeted African migrants in South Africa spurred me into a cursory glance of some marked lines in Nelson Mandela’s 878-page autobiography, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ which I first read in October 2013, during his last days on earth. His outstanding courage, his self-denial, and the uncommon sacrifices he made to birth a nation devoid of racial discrimination and man’s inhumanity against man on the basis of skin colour, are full of lessons. It is interesting to note that by a singular demonstration of the force of morality, Mandela negotiated the abolition of the age-long apartheid regime and obtained institutionalization of universal suffrage and democratic elections in South Africa. More importantly, he unwittingly united the country and inspired the global community in spectacular ways, with his 27 years of incarceration. Even in and out of power, Mandela maintained an enduring depth of gratitude and recognition of groundswell of goodwill enjoyed in the most difficult years of his country. In his words: ”We shall not forget how millions of people around the world joined us in solidarity to fight the injustice of our oppression while we were incarcerated.”
But today, South Africa has recurringly put back the clock of the ugly days. The country is brazenly turning against the African neighbours that helped her overcome systemic oppression. Premium Times reports that in May 2008 at least 68 people were killed in xenophobic attacks against migrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Somalia, in the residential areas of Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, the Free State, and the Eastern Cape. The hoodlums justified the resort to self-help by accusing the undocumented migrants of perpetrating the new wave of crimes across the country, including drug trafficking.
Hence, vigilantism, perfunctorily condemned by South African government, has taken control of the streets. They are forcing foreign nationals to either leave in droves or they would face jungle justice. Some are being evacuated by their home countries on account of the unrestrained clubbing to death in full glare of the public, typical of state-sponsored terrorism. The migrants are unpretentiously harassed with merciless beatings. Their businesses are cleaned out by looting, burning of shops, and demand for outright closure. The enforcers want employers to hire South African citizens only. Migrants without South African identity cards, even with passports, are prevented from accessing hospital facilities. Their school-age children are blocked from going into classrooms. On its part, the South African government calls it “witch-hunting” of the illegal vigilante and rejects the framing of the violence as xenophobia.
Indeed, the anti-immigrant campaigners which gave June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to quit the country, are not superficial. They are driven by an organic movement called “Operation Dudula” formed in 2021. The group has carried vigorous campaigns for the removal of undocumented foreign nationals from the limited economic opportunities in the country. The group wants illegal migrants restrained from accessing the already strained public facilities. BBC records indicate that “Operation Dudula” which began as street protests in Soweto and Johannesburg has over the course of time earned mass appeal, large followership and media visibility, and consequently metamorphosed into a registered political party for power grabbing ambitions.
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Also, a civic rights organization, March & March movement formed in 2024 by a radio presenter, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma from Durban, noted in its website that the movement was founded “to give voice to citizens’ concerns about undocumented immigration, resource access, and national priorities.” Flowing from the foregoing, Malilomo Nkhabu of Friederick Naumann Foundation sums it up this way: “Foreigners are blamed for unemployment, crime and strained services.” However, the statistics from OECD and ILO, according to Nkhabu, do not indicate that the unemployment crisis in South Africa is caused by the activities of foreign nationals. The underlying driver is governance failure.
In fairness, the human rights community and civil society activists in the country roundly condemn the “mob-like” treatment meted out to foreign nationals. They frown at scapegoating of non-citizens for systemic failings. Besides, the Johannesburg High Court’s ruling had forbade the assault on non-citizens and declared that it was the police and immigration officials that are empowered by law to enforce the status of a migrant, not the vigilante. The Department of Health also maintained that access to health is a human right issue and should not be politicized based on nationality. Yet, the legitimate enforcement of immigration laws has remained a far cry. The governing authorities exploit the sentiments against the undocumented migrants as a shield from public opprobrium arising from leadership failure. For political correctness, the ruling elite prevaricates; the vigilantes’ cash in on the gap to assert public relevance. Nkhabu’s verdict therefore is that, “The country is being offered a false diagnosis by populists and politicians who avoid harder truths.”
Indeed, the latest attacks that reportedly led to the deaths of two Nigerians, five Mozambicans, five Ethiopians and the displacement of thousands have further alienated Africans in an age of increasing regional solidarity and concerted economic groupings. For fear of their lives, a number of undocumented migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have flown out of the country on their own by road. Others already evacuated by their countries include: Ghana -1,000; Mozambique -700; Malawi – 171; Zimbabwe-139; Nigeria -1,000+. While it is no controversy that border controls and immigration issues remain a sovereign responsibility, but pursuing them in a nasty way is least expected from a country like South Africa, for obvious historical reasons. It is a huge set back to the touted gains of the African Continental Free Trade Areas (AfCFTA).
Beyond the outcry and the ensuing diplomatic stand-offs, nation-states should realize that illegal migration has become a major problem in contemporary times. And the most realistic way to stem the tide in Africa is to turn the continent’s demography into dividend by creating opportunities for massive jobs and investments in individual nations. Countries that are ahead economically should also lend helping hands to others, as no nation can really be in autarky.
