Daily Trust Editorial, May 7, 2026
The resurgence of violent attacks on immigrants by some citizens of South Africa, which led to the loss of some lives and destruction of businesses, has generated huge concern across Africa in particular and the world as a whole. In what appears as the continuation of a show of extreme hostility, such unruly South Africans turned Nigerians and the citizens of some other African countries and their means of livelihood into targets of attacks.
Daily Trust recalls that since the eruption of the protests against the immigrants over a decade ago as a clear manifestation of xenophobia, settlers of African origin, including those whose stay in South Africa is absolutely legitimate, have become endangered species. In a manner that smacks of petty jealousy over the relative achievements of the settlers, the protesters have inflicted incalculable pains on fellow Africans.
Immigrants in South Africa are about just 2.4 million people; less than four per cent of the country’s total population, which currently stands at 65 million. A lot of them are from Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
It worries all well-meaning Africans and the concerned people of the world that under the guise of agitation for improved welfare and greater work opportunities, the South Africans would be so cruel to the immigrants. This, therefore, explains both the condemnation of their act and spontaneous calls for not only the cessation of the hostilities, but also the adoption of measures that can effectively guarantee the security of Africans and their businesses in South Africa.
The history of violence against immigrants by South African locals as mentioned by the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) through its Rapporteur in the country, Solomon Ayele Dersso, shows that such attacks have already assumed a longstanding pattern. There were killings of foreigners in Johannesburg way back in 1998, another killings in Cape Town in 2000, while nationwide violence in 2009 caused the death of over 60 people and the displacement of about 100,000 others and a year later several Zimbabweans living in De Doorns were also violently displaced.
Instructively, the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, not only described the act as criminal, but also reminded South Africans that the struggle for the independence of their country was “sustained through international and African solidarity.” He strongly lamented their hostility and further stated that “all forms of incitement to hatred have no place in an inclusive, democratic society.”
It is quite right, as the UN Secretary General has done, to remind the people of South Africa, especially those who have indulged in the barbaric act, of the critical contributions of the African countries, from which the victims of their violence have hailed, to the fight against apartheid. At a time of dire need, it was the countries of origin of the settlers that volunteered the moral, political and financial support that was required to sustain the fight for freedom.
Although the cautionary statement by the country’s leader, President Cyril Ramaphosa, might have calmed some nerves, it is certainly not assuring enough. His admonition that the protesters should not let their agitations to “breed prejudices and hatred towards our fellow Africans” is not an equivalent of expression of commitment to bring the ugly phenomenon to an end.
Daily Trust expects much more, in terms of real actions to stop the attacks, from the South African government, which is the only way to show that it genuinely worries about the security of those President Ramaphosa refers to as “fellow Africans.” The authorities in the country should heed the persistent calls for the adoption of counter-measures that can result in the reversal of the current trend that is characterised by protests, destructions and bloodshed.
Also in this regard, the African Union as well as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference should effectively intervene to ensure that a permanent end is put to the ugly phenomenon. They should deploy all their instruments of conflict management and resolution to rid South Africa of this menace, which has robbed the country of its potentials for growth and emergence as a beacon of hope for Africans.
We call on the federal government to ensure the safety of Nigerians in South Africa and also work towards the immediate reactivation of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission for the purpose of effective management of the relations between the two countries. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant agencies like the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission are duly required to pay more than a lip service to this disturbing matter.
Meanwhile, we commend the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its strong condemnation of the violence and also support the decision of both chambers of the National Assembly to set up a joint investigative committee on the incident. All these efforts should form the basis on which a strategy for the resolution of the crisis and mitigation of its effects can be designed.