Xenophobic Attacks: Xenophobic Violence Continues to Escalate in South Africa 

Contrary to  President Ramaphosa denunciations and the public rejections of the June 30 ultimatum, contrary to the presidential warnings against private citizens posing as vigilantes for the state in a help-yourself attempt to drive home xenophobic demands, pro-xenophobic protests and targeted property lootings carried on as planned by the involved groups who have been fanning the embers of xenophobia in South Africa. No fewer than 120 marches were carried out across the country. Set by a coalition of over twenty vigilante and citizen-led pressure groups, the June 30 deadline demanded that all (undocumented) African migrants immediately pack their belongings and leave the country.

Unfortunately, instead of the promised restoration of law and order, the state of things in the last week has revealed no let-up in the vicious cycle of intimidation, targeted attacks and lootings that foreigners have suffered in South Africa, with little effort from the government to curtail the protests or public anger. In fact, given the state of things, it is hard not to notice the government’s complicity.

Forty-eight hours before the ultimatum, two Nigerian nationals were killed in separate incidents occurring in Pretoria and Mpumalanga province. In Sunnyside, Pretoria, Emeka Charles Iroegbu was allegedly beaten to death during a brutal interrogation by Tshwane Metro Police Department officers, while in Witbank (eMalahleni), Mpumalanga, Musa Yunana Joe was shot and killed by unidentified attackers right outside his business premises. On June 30th, Bashiru Isak, a 40-year-old Ghanaian fashion designer, was shot dead during anti-immigrant demonstrations in Cape Town’s Khayelitsha township. 

Looking at the posture of the South African government, it’s very clear to understand that little has been done to quell xenophobic hostility or allay the terror gripping foreign communities. For the most part, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s responses and public statements have merely been rhetorical damage control, with little to no enforcement. His 7 June 2026 national address on migration, for instance, largely acknowledged public anxieties, but it stopped short of announcing concrete actions capable of immediately reassuring foreign nationals or deterring xenophobic mobilisation. In fact, the address devoted considerable attention to validating public concerns about illegal immigration — an evidence of their own failure — leaving the government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable migrant communities insufficiently communicated.

Even after his repeated condemnation of the protests and the vigilante actions South Africans have resorted to, the South African Police Force still provides members of the protesting groups with protection during public actions. Despite the presence of police units, foreign nationals are continuously attacked, with their homes systematically raided by neighbourhood committees, and their retail properties and township shops looted. The presidency has deployed no emergency protective measures, to protect foreign enclaves, and has offered no state-backed assurances of safety or financial restitution for those displaced.

The passivity of the Ramaphosea-led government suggests convincingly that the state is actively hiding behind the protesters. Confronted with systemic domestic challenges, including a national unemployment rate exceeding 32%, infrastructure collapse, and deep economic inequality, it is arguable that the ruling African National Congress finds a convenient political lightning rod in the immigration crisis. Through the narrative being held up to the world showing regional migrants as the absolute cause of poverty and joblessness, the government of South Africa is able to divert accountability away from its own historical policy failures. 

At the moment, the diplomatic relationship that South Africa maintains with other African nations has been heavily discredited by the state of things. On July 7, 2026, the government of Ghana cancelled a diplomatic meeting with President Ramaphosa that was scheduled to take place in Accra. According to Ghanaian authorities, the meeting was cancelled on the grounds that there have been no positive developments in South Africa in relation to the crisis and proceeding with the visit while the pall of anti-migrant violence and the killing of their citizens hung over the continent would be entirely inappropriate. 

Similarly, the Nigerian government has noted the safety of African immigrants in South Africa is actively deteriorating, with “no signs that the situation is improving.” The Nigerian Senate has also launched an investigation into the systemic targeting of its citizens and corporate entities. Countries like Ghana, Malawi and Mozambique have initiated emergency evacuation airlifts, choosing to physically remove their populations from South African soil.

The anger across South Africa is still heated. Pressure groups in South Africa have openly stated that their street-level sweeps, business closures, and house-to-house identification checks will continue indefinitely and public anti-xenophobic rhetoric have become increasingly bold, especially in the face of governmental silence and inaction.

Considering the insouciant response of the Ramaphosa administration, other African nations must adopt sterner policies against South Africa. The continued restraint of several African governments has done little to impress upon the Ramaphosa-led government of the gravity of the crisis or the diplomatic consequences of its inaction. Statements of concern, condemnations and evacuations have proved insufficient. If African states are zealous about protecting their citizens and preserving the principle of African solidarity, they must adopt firmer diplomatic measures against South Africa. Until the South African government is made to bear a tangible political and diplomatic cost for its failure to halt the persecution of African migrants within its borders, there is little reason to expect that President Ramaphosa’s response will show any urgency and decisiveness.