South Africa will take strong action against violent xenophobia, said International Relations and Co-operation Minister Ronald Lamola, in response to protests from the Ghanaian government. This followed a widely circulated video showing a group of South Africans harassing a Ghanaian man, demanding he produce his passport and telling him to return to Ghana to “fix his country”.

Lamola was speaking over the weekend and said, “Acts of lawlessness, intimidation, and violence against migrant communities have no place in our constitutional democracy.”

Lamola’s Ghanaian counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has confirmed that the individual involved, Emmanuel Asamoah, will be repatriated at the expense of the Ghanaian government. He added that xenophobia in South Africa undermined efforts towards continental cooperation and solidarity.

Migration from across Africa to South Africa has been a phenomenon for generations, but it has become a particularly fraught issue since the 1990s. There have been recurrent instances of xenophobic violence, notably outbreaks of rioting in 2008, 2015, and 2019, which collectively resulted in dozens of deaths and widespread looting and destruction of property.

Statistics South Africa found that immigrants constituted around 3.9% of the population in the 2022 census, or some 2.4 million people. Immigrant communities have a visible presence in certain parts of the economy, including running networks of competitive small businesses serving low-income communities.

Immigrants have, however, been blamed for a variety of societal ills. These are often fed by bad governance and restricted economic opportunities. In recent years, campaigns – such as Operation Dudula (“to force out”) and local “business forums” – have organised negative sentiment against foreigners in South Africa. In recent months, Operation Dudula has picketed hospitals in an attempt to prevent foreigners from accessing care.

A hardline stance on immigration has formed a part of the platforms of several small political parties, such as the Patriotic Alliance. More established parties have at times also sought to capitalise on these feelings; for example, the African National Congress has proposed barring foreigners from running township businesses.

In addition, the encouragement and manipulation of xenophobic sentiment occurs alongside similar incitement with other fissures in society. South Africa sees regular incitement against political opponents, members of other racial or cultural groups, or against groups such as farmers.