By Mary Onyia
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reportedly called for an end to Xenophobia and warned against vigilante attacks on foreign nationals, insisting that immigration enforcement must remain the responsibility of the State as his government grapples with a wave of anti-immigrant violence and rising regional concern.
Ramaphosa was reported to have publicly called for an end to xenophobia and warned citizens against taking the law into their own hands amid a recent surge in anti-immigrant violence and protests.
Th President condemned xenophobia and urged South Africans to reject vigilantism, insisting that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the state. “There is no place for sexism, for xenophobia, for Afrophobia, or any other form of intolerance,” the President said, adding that “responsibility for enforcing our laws rests with the state… no individual may stop any person to demand documentation or proof of identity or nationality.”
He urged South Africans not to target foreign nationals or blame them collectively for the country’s economic and social challenges, stressing: “Whatever the motivation, taking the laws into one’s own hands is vigilantism and has no place in our constitutional democracy.”
According to AFP, his remarks came after anti-immigrant demonstrations escalated across parts of the country, with groups conducting unauthorized document checks and attacks on migrants. The South African government has since strengthened border security and intensified immigration enforcement while simultaneously condemning violence against foreigners. Ramaphosa acknowledged public concerns over illegal migration but insisted that they must be addressed through lawful means rather than xenophobic attacks.
The renewed violence has drawn criticism from several African governments, including Nigeria, Malawi and Mozambique, while human rights organisations have warned that both documented and undocumented migrants are increasingly being targeted. More than 53,000 migrants have reportedly been deported or repatriated in the past month as part of the government’s immigration crackdown, even as Ramaphosa reiterated that South Africa rejects xenophobia and remains committed to the rule of law.
AFP