A growing wave of anti-immigrant protests in South Africa has triggered a diplomatic backlash across the continent, with several African ambassadors refusing to attend the country’s official Africa Day celebrations over security concerns.
The event, scheduled to take place in Moruleng in the North West province, was expected to highlight African unity and regional cooperation. Instead, it has become a symbol of mounting tensions surrounding the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa.
The boycott was reportedly coordinated by André Nzapayeke, the ambassador of the Central African Republic (CAR) and dean of the diplomatic corps in South Africa.
According to reports, diplomats fear that foreign nationals attending the event could face intimidation or violence amid escalating anti-immigration activism in parts of the country.
“There will be thousands of people attending, and we cannot guarantee their safety,” Nzapayeke reportedly said, confirming that the decision was made collectively by African envoys.
The move represents one of the strongest diplomatic reactions yet to recent anti-foreigner demonstrations that have spread across several South African provinces.
Anti-immigration protests spread across provinces
In recent months, protests targeting undocumented migrants have intensified in areas including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape.
Organisers of the demonstrations argue that undocumented migrants are taking employment opportunities from South Africans while placing additional pressure on healthcare, housing, education, and other public services.
However, African governments and civil society groups have warned that the protests are increasingly turning into acts of xenophobia targeting African migrants regardless of their legal status.
Reports have emerged of migrants being stopped in public spaces and forced to present identification or residency documents.
A draft diplomatic statement circulating among ambassadors reportedly expressed “deep concern” over “xenophobic violence, intimidation and hostility directed at African migrants.”
The statement further warned that economic frustrations and governance problems should never justify attacks on innocent people or create “an atmosphere of fear and exclusion.”
Diplomats also urged the South African government to strengthen migration systems while ensuring that law-abiding foreign nationals receive protection from violence and intimidation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly condemned the attacks, describing them as actions carried out by “opportunists exploiting legitimate grievances.”
Ramaphosa reiterated that xenophobia and ethnic intolerance have no place in South Africa’s constitutional democracy.
Continental tensions grow as Ghana evacuates citizens
The diplomatic boycott comes as concern over South Africa’s internal tensions grows in several African capitals.
Ghana has already begun evacuating some of its citizens from South Africa following recent incidents of violence and intimidation. The West African country has also reportedly requested that the African Union hold discussions on xenophobia in South Africa.
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that evacuated citizens would receive assistance and relief support upon their return home.
Meanwhile, tensions escalated sharply in Durban earlier this week when anti-illegal immigration protests descended into chaos in the city centre.
Demonstrators linked to civil organisations, political groups, and lobbying movements marched through the Durban CBD demanding stronger action against undocumented migration.
As unrest spread, groups of foreign nationals, including refugees and children, reportedly fled to the Durban Central Police Station seeking protection.
Police later used rubber bullets to disperse crowds during clashes outside the station, leaving several people injured.
Some displaced migrants spent the night outside the Diakonia Centre in Durban while pleading for government assistance and security.
Analysts say the boycott of Africa Day celebrations marks a significant diplomatic setback for South Africa, particularly given the symbolic importance of the annual event.
The controversy has also revived debate about South Africa’s changing role on the continent. During former president Thabo Mbeki’s administration, the country positioned itself as a champion of the “African Renaissance” and pan-African cooperation.
Now, critics warn that repeated outbreaks of xenophobic violence are damaging Pretoria’s credibility and weakening trust between South Africa and other African nations.
Source: The Sunday Times, The Citizen