The first group of Ghanaian nationals accepted their government’s voluntary repatriation offer and departed from OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday.
Image: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers
Recent Africa Day celebrations rang hollow in South Africa, where rising anti-immigrant sentiment has reached a tipping point. While the day is intended to celebrate unity, the reality on the ground is marked by fear, intimidation, and the dehumanisation of fellow Africans.
This surge in nationalism is not a spontaneous occurrence; it is fed by a pervasive fear rooted in the government's failure to grow the economy and address a staggering unemployment rate that stands at nearly 33 percent. But economic insecurity alone does not explain what we are witnessing. Certain politicians have chosen to weaponise that fear, cultivating anti-immigrant sentiment as a substitute for policy and a shortcut to votes. When scapegoating becomes an electoral strategy, it does not merely reflect public anxiety; it amplifies and legitimises it.
When citizens feel economically insecure and politically abandoned, holding those in power accountable for decades of policy failures and chronic mismanagement becomes harder when those same leaders are busy pointing fingers elsewhere.
The rise of vigilanteism represents a blatant disregard for human dignity and constitutional values. These groups have moved from political rhetoric to direct intimidation, even targeting schools and maternity wards, and they do not operate in a vacuum. They are emboldened by the language of politicians who know precisely what they are doing. We must unequivocally condemn these actions; only law enforcement officers have the right to verify identities, and vigilante groups must not be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
South Africa finds itself in a "Pan-Africanist dilemma," struggling to reconcile its domestic challenges with the goal of continental unity. Addressing this crisis requires more than just boosting border controls; it demands capable, principled public leadership that understands the legacies of our past and refuses to trade on division for political survival. Our leaders must promote an ubuntu that recognises our shared history and ensures that migration remains legal, documented, and seamless.
For an African Renaissance to be more than a distant aspiration, we must shed the chains of division and suspicion. It is only through ethical leadership, a rule of law, and the political courage to resist the temptation of easy enemies that we can protect the constitutional rights of everyone within our borders and build the Africa we desire.