President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to reject xenophobia and uphold the rule of law, reminding that they did not walk alone into freedom.
His remarks come amid a wave of attacks on foreigners in cities such as Durban, Cape Town, and East London, raising alarm both domestically and internationally. Governments including Ghana and Nigeria have expressed concern over the safety of their citizens in South Africa.
Speaking during Freedom Day celebrations at Dr RantlaiMolemela Stadium in Bloemfontein, Ramaphosa reminded citizens that South Africa’s freedom was achieved with the support of other African nations.
“We did not walk alone into freedom. We were carried by a tide of solidarity from the nations of Africa,” he said. “These countries opened their borders to our liberation fighters and stood by us in our struggle.”
“These countries opened their borders to our liberation fighters. They shared their bread and their homes. They spoke for us when we could not speak for ourselves. The leaders and people of Africa kept our struggle alive.”
He added that “it cannot be, and it must never be, that we trample into the dust the African fellowship that made our freedom possible.
“We are a people who live the value of ubuntu. We should never allow the legitimate concerns of our communities about illegal migration to breed prejudice towards our fellow Africans.
“We must not allow these concerns to give rise to xenophobia, directed towards people from other African countries or other any parts of the world. Instead, we must insist that the law be upheld and enforced.
Ramaphosa said the government was working around the clock to address the issue of illegal migration and to tackle corruption in the system.
“That is why we are clamping down on illegal migration and on businesses that flout our laws by hiring undocumented persons at the expense of our citizens.
“We are actively rooting out corruption in our immigration system. We will not allow people to take the law into their own hands. We extend hospitality to those who are guests in our country, with the expectation that generosity is honoured with respect for our society and its laws.
“As a nation that defeated colonialism and apartheid through international solidarity, we carry a responsibility to advance constitutional values beyond our borders.”
Ghana recently summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner over what it called a series of xenophobic incidents targeting foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, after videos circulated online showing migrants being harassed and told to leave the country.
The move turns a familiar domestic flashpoint in South Africa – anger over jobs, crime and public services being directed at African migrants – into a diplomatic problem for Pretoria. It also gives Accra a chance to frame the issue not only as a consular matter, but as a betrayal of the African solidarity that Ghana says it showed during South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle.
During the struggle against apartheid, the minority regimes of Southern Africa were primarily challenged by African national liberation movements, many of which adopted armed struggle to achieve independence. The African National Congress (ANC), established in 1912 to defend the rights of the oppressed Black population in South Africa, later formed its armed wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), in 1961.
The Frontline States in Africa earlier represented a coalition of independent countries that opposed white minority rule and supported liberation movements across the region. Between the 1960s and the 1990s, countries such as Tanzania, Zambia, and Botswana provided sanctuary, training bases, and logistical support to African nationalists fighting for decolonization.
The success of liberation movements such as the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), which has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980; the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), which has governed Namibia since 1990; and the ANC, which came to power in South Africa in 1994, would have been unlikely without the sustained support of the Frontline States.
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