JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s justice minister is warning that a recent surge in violence against foreign nationals is tarnishing the country’s international reputation and triggering a backlash that is affecting South African businesses and entertainers abroad.
At a briefing held Sunday, minister Mmamoloko Kubayi urged South Africans to step back from vigilante actions and allow the government to address illegal immigration through official channels.
Over the past several weeks, South Africa has experienced a wave of protests and violent incidents directed at other African nationals — including some living in the country legally — as anti-immigrant groups point the finger at foreigners for the nation’s high unemployment rate and crime levels.
“A majority of South African artists perform on the continent, and many of them are seeing their gigs being cancelled,” Kubayi said, declining to name any performers specifically.
She added that the government is extending support to South African businesses operating in other countries that have been caught in the resulting backlash.
“We do believe that it can not only hurt the brand, but can hurt our social cohesion,” she said. Kubayi also noted that even some South African citizens have been caught up in the anti-immigrant aggression simply because of their appearance or the way they speak.
Xenophobia has long been a recurring problem in South Africa, and observers say the issue has been stoked by politicians looking to build support ahead of local elections scheduled for November.
Multiple countries — among them Ghana, Malawi, and Mozambique — have moved to bring their citizens back home due to safety concerns. Malawi announced Monday that it was transporting hundreds more of its nationals home by bus from the city of Durban.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to social media platform X to express his dismay, writing: “It is profoundly heartbreaking to witness another surge of xenophobic violence in #SouthAfrica.” He described the situation as a “tragic betrayal” of the African nations that stood by South Africa during its fight against apartheid.
Tedros also reported that five Ethiopians and five Mozambicans had lost their lives in the attacks.
South Africa’s foreign ministry pushed back on that characterization, stating that the deaths of the five Ethiopians were tied to organized crime rather than xenophobic violence. The circumstances surrounding the deaths of the five Mozambicans remain under investigation, the ministry said.
“We deeply regret the tragic loss of life in these recent incidents, as one life lost is simply one too many,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri.
