South Africa has witnessed a surge of xenophobic violence that has claimed the lives of at least 50 people over the past three years, according to the monitoring organisation Xenowatch. Since the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eight deaths linked to attacks on immigrants have been verified, including two Nigerians, Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle and James Uchechukwu Nwankwo, and two Ghanaians reported by the Ghanaian News Agency.
The violence has targeted the national football team, Bafana Bafana, with African fans expressing hostility towards the squad during the tournament. The incident, which should have united the continent, has instead highlighted a long‑standing problem that began in 1994, the year Nelson Mandela was elected as South Africa’s first black president. Subsequent outbreaks, most notably in 2008, have continued to recur, with local grievances cited as a key driver.
In Johannesburg’s Mayfair neighbourhood, former editor Ferial Haffjee describes a shift from a “serene” area to a “precinct of chaos” where immigrants allegedly influence city planning and commercial activity. The country’s 33.6 % unemployment rate has fueled political rhetoric that blames foreigners for job loss, strained healthcare services and crime, rhetoric that was amplified during the 2024 elections.
UN data show that South Africa’s 65 million population hosted about 2.63 million immigrants in mid‑2024, 25 % of whom were from outside the Southern African Development Community. Only about 1 % of that foreign population—roughly 24,718—were Nigerians. Employment‑equity statistics from 2024 reveal that white employees hold 61.1 % of top management posts, compared with 18 % for Africans, 11.9 % for Indians, 6.2 % for coloured people and 2.8 % for other foreign nationals. Household income figures further show that white-headed households earned nearly five times more than black African‑headed households in 2022/23.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, a beneficiary of the long‑running Black Economic Empowerment programme, has been criticised for not taking a decisive stance against the violence. While he has not been accused of inciting attacks, his reluctance to confront the issue has raised questions about the effectiveness of South Africa’s leadership in addressing a problem that has become a continental embarrassment.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the African Union to discuss the matter at its January 2027 meeting, but the continent’s leaders have yet to respond with a unified strategy. The ongoing crisis underscores a broader challenge for African states to reconcile economic disparities, social tensions and the rights of migrants within their borders.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
