South Africa must reject xenophobia and recommit to African unity

There is something deeply troubling about Africans turning against fellow Africans. Across the continent, people have long spoken about unity, brotherhood, and a shared future. Yet whenever Africans are attacked, threatened, or forced out because they come from another African country, those values are damaged. Chasing fellow Africans out of South Africa is not a solution to the country's problems; it creates new wounds while leaving the real issues untouched.

Many people who support hostility toward immigrants argue that foreigners take jobs, increase crime, or put pressure on public services. But unemployment, poverty, corruption, inequality, and crime are complicated challenges that existed long before many migrants arrived. It is easier to point fingers at vulnerable people than to confront the deeper causes of these problems. Blaming fellow Africans may create a temporary target for frustration, but it does not create employment, improve education, strengthen the economy, or make communities safer.

History should also remind us why unity matters. During apartheid, many African countries opened their doors to South Africans fleeing oppression. They offered support, shelter, and solidarity when South Africans needed help. The rest of Africa did not say, “These are not our people.” Instead, they stood together against injustice because they understood that the suffering of one African nation affected all Africans, Nankwe Hassan revealed.

Violence and intimidation do not build nations. They destroy them. When people are attacked because of their nationality, children grow up in fear, businesses are destroyed, families are separated, and communities become divided. No society becomes stronger by replacing understanding with hatred. A country cannot claim to stand for freedom and justice while denying those same values to others.

It is also important to ask a difficult question: if South Africans seek work, education, or opportunities in other countries, would they want to be treated with hostility and violence? The answer is obvious. Every human being hopes to be treated with dignity and respect. That same dignity should be extended to others.

South Africa is a nation with enormous potential, rich resources, and strong people. Its future should be built on unity, not division; cooperation, not fear; and solutions, not scapegoats. Real progress requires governments to create jobs, fight corruption, improve public services, and address inequality. Those responsibilities cannot be handed to ordinary migrants who are also trying to survive.

Africa's future depends on Africans standing together. Borders may divide countries on maps, but they should never divide our humanity. Chasing fellow Africans away will not solve the challenges South Africa faces. A nation rises when it builds bridges, not when it builds walls between brothers and sisters, he concluded.

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