South Africa xenophobic attacks a setback to African solidarity — Zanetor

The Second Vice President of the Pan African Parliament, Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings, has condemned recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Korle Klottey MP described the attacks as a setback to continental unity and Pan-African ideals.

Her comments follow reported violent assaults on foreign nationals in parts of South Africa in recent weeks, where groups of locals allegedly attacked Africans over job-related tensions.

Some of the incidents are said to have resulted in deaths and displacement of affected migrants from their homes and businesses.

Speaking on Thursday, May 7, during a welcome ceremony after her election as Second Vice President of the Pan African Parliament, she said the developments run contrary to the vision of African solidarity and cooperation.

“The xenophobic attacks in South Africa are very unfortunate,” she said.

She stressed that Africa’s shared liberation history places a responsibility on current generations to protect unity and resist division along national lines.

She further noted that Pan-African institutions must remain active in reminding citizens of the sacrifices made during the liberation struggles across the continent.

“We have a duty as members of the Pan African Parliament to remind the generation that may have forgotten the important principles that bind us together as people of this continent,” she stated.

Dr. Agyemang-Rawlings added that the matter would be formally raised within the Pan African Parliament’s agenda as part of efforts to address recurring xenophobic tensions on the continent.

Meanwhile, the government of Ghana has petitioned the African Union over the xenophobic tensions, calling for a diplomatic approach to reconciliation.

In a letter dated May 6 and addressed to the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, requested that the matter be placed on the agenda of the Eighth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union scheduled for June 24 to 27, 2026, in El Alamein.