Nigeria has summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner to a meeting at the foreign ministry on Monday, citing growing anti-African migrant protests.
The move comes just over a week after Ghana’s foreign ministry held talks with South Africa’s acting high commissioner in Accra to protest several alleged “xenophobic incidents” involving Ghanaians.
Meanwhile, news outlet City Press reports that South African trucks and citizens could be prevented from entering neighboring Mozambique on Monday, as protests were expected at Ressano Garcia in retaliation for xenophobic marches, statements and attacks against immigrants in South Africa.
The developments come only days after South Africa’s police ministry vowed to crack down on anyone carrying out xenophobic attacks against Ghanaians and other foreign nationals, or found participating in or inciting xenophobic acts.
Xenophobia not new in South Africa
Xenophobia has long been an issue in South Africa, and in recent months more anti-migrant protests have been reported, some of which included violence against foreign shopkeepers.
The focus of the anti-migrant incidents has been Black Africans, with more than two thirds of South Africa’s estimated three million foreign residents coming from neighboring Southern African countries.
With an unemployment rate of more than 30%, campaigners for migrant rights say migrants have been scapegoated in South Africa for the country’s economic woes.
Ferial Haffajee, the associate editor of South Africa’s Daily Maverick, wrote that “political entrepreneurs” had been abusing the situation.
“Populist political entrepreneurs who leverage social media and the social harm of widespread unemployment and inequality to drive campaigns that build their followings. This can later be parsed into political leadership positions and a high life,” she wrote.
Some mainstream South African political parties, including Action SA and Inkatha Freedom Party, have also joined demonstrations, which they say were to protest undocumented migrants.
International concern over anti-migrant violence
Nigeria and Ghana are not the only countries to raise concern about the trend.
On April 27, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement released by his spokesman that he was “deeply concerned by reports of xenophobic attacks and acts of harassment and intimidation against migrants and foreign nationals.”
“Violence, vigilantism and all forms of incitement to hatred have no place in an inclusive, democratic society governed by the rule of law and respect for human rights,” he said.
South Africa’s foreign affairs minister, Ronald Lamola, last month told a meeting of government officials that violence against migrants was a threat to South Africa’s constitutional order.
“Acts of lawlessness, intimidation and violence against migrant communities have no place in our constitutional democracy,” he said.
The country’s police minister, Firoz Cachalia, said, “acts of xenophobia, violence, looting, or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
