Anti-immigration protests and xenophobic violence are spreading across South Africa, raising tensions among African nations. Ghana's government has dispatched chartered flights to urgently repatriate hundreds of its citizens, while Nigeria has also drawn up evacuation plans, as the situation escalates into an international issue.
"Foreigners Out"...Anti-Immigration Protests Erupt Across South Africa
According to the New York Times and Yonhap News on Thursday, Ghana's government deployed a chartered flight to repatriate approximately 300 Ghanaian nationals staying in South Africa. The move came as protests and violent incidents targeting foreigners intensified in major South African cities, heightening anxiety among Ghanaians living there.
The Ghanaian government said about 890 citizens have so far expressed their intention to return home, and additional charter flights are under consideration. The Nigerian government had earlier announced plans to urgently evacuate 130 of its nationals from South Africa.
Recent protests targeting undocumented foreigners have been concentrated in the administrative capital Pretoria and Johannesburg, the country's largest city.
Protesters claim that foreigners are taking jobs away from South African citizens and contributing to rising crime. Some groups have demanded that all undocumented immigrants leave South Africa by June 30.
The protests are being assessed as more organized than in the past. A significant portion of the rallies is being led by a newly formed group called "March and March." Protest leader Nkosikhona Ndabandaba said, "We are not fighting our Black brothers, but fighting a system that prioritizes foreigners over South African citizens."
The protesters reject being labeled as "xenophobic forces," arguing instead that the rights and livelihoods of South African citizens must come first.
Embassies of several countries, including South Korea, are advising their nationals through websites and notices to avoid crowded areas.
"They're Taking Our Jobs"...30 Years of Xenophobia in South Africa
In particular, with local elections scheduled for November, analyses have emerged that some political circles are using the immigration issue as a tool to rally their support base, further heightening tensions.
Anti-immigration sentiment in South Africa is not a recent phenomenon. Violence targeting foreign workers and immigrants has occurred repeatedly in the country since 2008.
Most victims are immigrants from neighboring African countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Among some South Africans, grievances have long accumulated that immigrants from neighboring countries entering the low-wage labor market have worsened unemployment and crime problems.
According to South African History Online (SAHO), a site specializing in South African history and culture, the current form of xenophobia is analyzed to have emerged in earnest after the Black-led government came to power in 1994.
A notable point is that white residents in South Africa are not the main targets of xenophobia. Instead, Black immigrants from neighboring African countries are more often the targets of attacks.
There have even been reported cases of South Africans being mistaken for foreigners and attacked because they differed from major ethnic groups such as the Zulu and Xhosa, or because their "skin was too dark."
Experts view high unemployment, wealth inequality, public safety concerns, and inadequate public services as the core drivers of anti-immigration sentiment. South Africa's unemployment rate exceeds 30 percent, among the highest in the world.
Could It Escalate Into an African Diplomatic Conflict?
As the situation has intensified, African governments have also pushed back strongly.
The governments of Ghana and Nigeria reportedly summoned South African ambassadors stationed in their countries to lodge protests. Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said via X (formerly Twitter), "I have approved an emergency evacuation plan to protect Ghanaians suffering from recent xenophobic attacks."
The South African government is also concerned about the spread of the situation, but some forecasts suggest that calming anti-immigration sentiment in the short term will not be easy amid prolonged economic hardship and unemployment.
