Xenophobia: Why African Migrants Keep Becoming the Face of Public Anger

Xenophobia and xenophobic attacks are nothing new in South Africa. In fact, over the years, they have become disturbingly synonymous with the country. Every few years, videos emerge again, shops are looted again, people are chased again, and black African migrants once again become the centre of public anger. It is a cycle many Africans have watched repeat itself with heartbreak, confusion, and growing exhaustion.

The recent wave of hostility toward African migrants in South Africa has reopened old wounds across the continent. Native South Africans are demanding that foreigners they perceive to be illegal immigrants leave the country. Street patrols have appeared in some communities, businesses owned by migrants have been targeted, and accusations have spread rapidly across social media and local discussions.

What continues to stand out, however, is who receives the most hostility. The anger rarely seems directed at non-black immigrants. African migrants from countries such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Somalia are often the visible targets. This naturally raises uncomfortable questions. Are there no undocumented non-black immigrants in South Africa? Why does frustration about immigration repeatedly become a battle between black Africans?

These are difficult questions, but they deserve honest conversations instead of emotional shouting matches.

What makes this issue even more painful is that these attacks and harassments are often indiscriminate. People are profiled based on accents, appearance, names, or assumptions. Some migrants who have legal documentation still face intimidation. Some South Africans themselves have reportedly been mistaken for foreigners because they speak differently or belong to certain ethnic groups. That should concern everyone.

At the same time, it is important to approach this conversation with balance and maturity. Immigration is a sensitive issue in every country in the world. Citizens naturally expect their governments to protect jobs, regulate borders, manage crime, and maintain order. When people feel economically trapped, frustrated, unemployed, or neglected, immigration often becomes an emotional topic.

South Africans are not imagining their economic struggles. The country has battled severe unemployment for years, especially among black youth. Poverty, inequality, crime, poor service delivery, corruption, and economic stagnation have created deep frustration in many communities. Those realities cannot simply be dismissed.

Earlier today, I watched a discussion panel where both black and white South Africans were trying to unpack the crisis. One man made a point that stayed with me long after the video ended. Paraphrasing his words, he explained that many of the problems now being blamed on African migrants are problems South Africa has struggled with for decades. Instead of confronting the structural issues directly, frustration is being redirected toward the easiest targets, black African migrants. There is truth worth reflecting on there.

When people say foreigners are stealing jobs, another question must also be asked: what has South Africa’s unemployment rate looked like for years, even before the current immigration debates intensified? Why has joblessness remained painfully high for so long, particularly among black South Africans? Those are governance questions, economic questions, and policy questions. Migrants alone cannot fully explain such a longstanding crisis.

The same discussion also touched on something many outsiders do not fully understand, the immigration system itself. According to the speaker, some migrants enter South Africa legally and apply for proper documentation, only to face endless delays from immigration authorities. Months turn into years. Renewals stall. Applications disappear into bureaucratic backlogs. During that waiting period, people can suddenly find themselves classified as illegal residents despite initially following the legal process.

If that is happening consistently, then the problem becomes bigger than individual migrants. It becomes an institutional failure.

None of this excuses criminality from any immigrant, regardless of race or nationality. Every migrant has a responsibility to obey the laws of the host country. Illegal activity, exploitation, organised crime, trafficking, and violence should never be defended under the banner of African solidarity. Citizens of any nation will naturally become frustrated if they believe the law is not being enforced fairly.

That conversation must include everybody, Africans, Europeans, Asians, and all other groups living in South Africa. Law-abiding migrants contribute positively to economies everywhere in the world. Those who engage in crime damage trust, increase tensions, and make life harder for other immigrants trying to survive honestly.

Still, violence can never become the answer. Xenophobia is not the answer. Mob attacks, harassment, looting, intimidation, and public humiliation do not solve unemployment. They do not fix broken immigration systems. They do not create opportunities. They do not repair governance failures. They only deepen fear, division, and resentment across Africa.

What makes the situation even more ironic is that South Africans themselves live and work in many African countries. Across the continent, South African businesses operate successfully, South African professionals are employed in different industries, and South African citizens move freely in pursuit of opportunities. In many of these countries, they are not subjected to violent street campaigns demanding that they leave. That reality should matter.

Africa already struggles with enough division, political instability, poverty, and external exploitation. Watching Africans turn against fellow Africans over frustrations rooted partly in governance failures feels deeply tragic. It weakens the dream of continental unity that many generations fought for.

This conversation also requires honesty from the rest of Africa. Some African governments have failed their own citizens so badly that migration becomes the only survival option. When economies collapse, insecurity rises, and opportunities disappear, people naturally move elsewhere seeking better lives. Migration itself is not the disease, it is often the symptom of bigger failures.

South Africa, because of its relatively stronger economy and infrastructure, inevitably attracts migrants from across the continent. That pressure is real. The government cannot pretend otherwise. Citizens also have the right to demand secure borders, efficient immigration systems, and proper enforcement of the law. Yet citizens must also recognise when political failures are being redirected toward vulnerable groups.

History has shown repeatedly that when societies become frustrated, minorities and outsiders often become convenient scapegoats. It happens across the world. Immigrants become symbols onto which people project years of anger, disappointment, hopelessness, and economic pain.

That does not make the anger imaginary. It simply means the target may not be the true source of the problem. So, dear South Africans, this is another heartfelt appeal, hold your government accountable. Demand better leadership. Demand efficient immigration systems. Demand economic reforms. Demand job creation. Demand accountability for corruption and poor governance. Those are the deeper battles worth fighting.

Fellow Africans living in South Africa must also respect the laws of the country, contribute positively where possible, and avoid actions that inflame already fragile tensions. Mutual respect matters in every society. At the end of the day, Africans should not become enemies to one another. A continent already carrying so many burdens cannot afford to normalise hatred among its own people.

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