President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Sunday that South Africa will target organizations responsible for stoking xenophobic violence, as anti-immigrant demonstrations continue to damage the nation’s international standing.
Several African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi and Mozambique are bringing home citizens who became caught up in the demonstrations, some of which have escalated into violence. Officials from Mozambique reported that five of their nationals lost their lives in the unrest.
During a nationally broadcast speech, Ramaphosa declared his administration would take action against those exploiting public concerns over illegal immigration for personal gain, though he did not detail specific measures planned.
“We will act against forces who are exploiting the concerns of our people about illegal immigration to further their own political, personal and criminal agendas,” Ramaphosa stated during his televised remarks.
“We will and must not allow groups to use the legitimate concerns of South Africans to destabilize our country through inciting lawlessness and violence,” he added.
The president warned citizens against confronting people in public to check their documentation, emphasizing that only government authorities have the power to enforce immigration regulations.
Anti-immigrant violence has plagued South Africa repeatedly, with foreign nationals frequently scapegoated for the country’s economic challenges including widespread joblessness and criminal activity. Advocates for immigrant communities argue these claims are unjustified and manipulated by politicians seeking popular support.
During his address, Ramaphosa acknowledged that migrants were being unfairly held responsible for issues stemming from widespread poverty and lack of employment opportunities.
The administration is implementing various measures to handle migration issues, he explained, including tougher regulatory enforcement, comprehensive legal reforms, and collaboration with neighboring nations to tackle the underlying causes driving illegal border crossings.
Among the policy initiatives he outlined were plans to establish specialized courts for faster processing of immigration matters and modernizing the paper “green book” identification documents used by South Africans and legal residents with more advanced biometric digital cards.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa announced Saturday that his country has formally complained to the African Union regarding South Africa’s treatment of Ghanaian nationals. Ghana is documenting property losses suffered by its citizens during the attacks for potential future legal proceedings.
