Signs of a diplomatic and public crisis are emerging between South Africa and Ghana following xenophobic campaigns targeting Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Ghanaians, and others. The attacks target Africans residing in the country, both legally and illegally. I recall in 2018 how a television presenter, Rutendo Matinyarare, was told to return to his home country of Zimbabwe during a live broadcast!
Some Africans in South Africa are openly declaring that they do not want to see Africans in “their country.” Yes, this is happening in South Africa, not in North Africa. South Africa, the birthplace of Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela, is witnessing this tragedy.
To be more precise, what is happening can be called “Afrophobic,” as it is noticeable that the campaigns, led by Africans, avoid targeting non-Africans except in rare cases.
Some South African citizens have come forward, denying any connection to what is happening, claiming that these individuals represent only a specific group in certain parts of the country. The same thing happened with Nigerians abroad. Some Nigerians came out to deny any connection to the transgressions committed by some of their compatriots outside the country, attributing the problem to a specific group that had been stereotyped. In other words, these incidents are perpetrated by certain groups, but are generalized to the entire country because the majority remains silent. And silence in such cases is tantamount to tacit approval.
A few months ago, a campaign was directed against Nigerians. Some Ghanaians, through the internet, were expressing their agreement and support for the South Africans in their targeting of Nigerians, before the tables turned and everyone became a target of xenophobia, including Ghanaians. There was even an incident where a man was brutally beaten by xenophobic groups active in the country, before they eventually discovered he wasn’t a “foreigner” at all, but a South African like them!
I put the word “foreigner” in quotation marks here because, in this South African context, it refers exclusively to Africans! I’ve noticed this in other African countries besides South Africa, though not with the same intensity and hostility, but that’s not our topic now. In most African countries, the word “foreigner” refers to white people or non-Africans.
Of course, when we talk about such matters that contradict the spirit of African unity, we must not forget that there’s a completely opposing current in South Africa, a very strong current represented by prominent figures like Julius Malema.
Amidst this overwhelming chaos, a young South African voice cried out, placing the weight of the question on the shoulders of his fellow citizens: “80% of our land in South Africa is owned by white people, yet our enemies are our black brothers?”
Following this, a video circulated of the current Ghanaian president, John Mahama, reminding South Africans of a previous time, commenting on similar events, how the entire continent stood behind them to support their liberation from apartheid just decades earlier, and urging them to study history. The South African chargé d’affaires in Ghana was summoned following the attacks, and contacts were made between the two countries’ foreign ministers to discuss the unfortunate events, which are still ongoing at the time of writing.
The irony here is that this is happening between the first African country (whose African identity is unquestionable) to gain independence and the last African country to do so. Between Ghana, which declared that its independence would be meaningless until all African territory was liberated, and South Africa, from which the spark of anti-Africanism occasionally ignites (of course, there are other countries, but this discussion concerns those whose African identity was never a matter of debate). To illustrate the bigger picture, it’s worth noting that Ghana itself expelled nearly two million Nigerians in 1969, only for Nigeria to retaliate in 1983 by expelling nearly one million Ghanaians in what became known historically as “Ghana must go.” The issue of expelling Nigerians from Ghana resurfaced a few months ago, but the intervention of wise figures from both sides prevented the situation from escalating. Africans fighting their fellow Africans is nothing new on this continent, so full of wonders.
It goes without saying that when governments fail to meet the needs of their citizens, they create a fabricated enemy to direct public anger towards. This anger is often directed at the most vulnerable, who are frequently “foreigners.” They are portrayed as the cause of unemployment and insecurity, issues that fall under the most important responsibilities for which governments are elected: providing jobs and maintaining security. Almost all governments resort to this tactic when they fail in their duties, particularly in these two areas. Recent events in the United States, where immigrants are being targeted, exemplify this. The question then arises: Is the South African government deliberately misleading its citizens after failing to dismantle the legacy of apartheid, characterized by the near-absolute control of the country’s economy by the white minority?
What reinforces the validity of this question is the recurring nature of these events, which often target Africans rather than other nationalities who exploit the country’s resources, often with the direct or indirect protection of corrupt and influential Africans within state institutions.
In this context, last year, it happened that a social media influencer woman was standing in a popular vegetable market in Gabon, pointing her phone at the female vendors and shouting: “Go back to your countries! We don’t want you here!”
Then, on August 12, 2025, the Gabonese government issued a decree prohibiting “foreigners” from selling vegetables and engaging in other simple jobs, reserving these activities for Gabonese citizens. I called my Gabonese friend, berating her: “What the hell are you guys doing?!” After some back and forth, she replied, “Please leave me alone. I’m not the Minister of Economy. Let’s talk about something more important. I want to visit you. I’ll be taking my vacation soon. Is December suitable for you?” And so the conversation took a different turn. Similar decrees have been issued in other African countries, such as Tanzania. Critics describe them as xenophobic, pointing out that they hinder the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while Western/multinational corporations flourish in broader sectors at the expense of struggling national economies. It is noticeable that these policies in these African countries often target Africans and turn a blind eye to Western and multinational companies that devour the green and leave the dry for the miserable Africans to fight over.
This is how governments behave when they fail to fulfill their responsibilities regarding security, unemployment, and other issues that directly impact citizens’ lives.
Therefore, I believe that any harassment suffered by citizens of other countries in any country due to unemployment and insecurity is primarily the responsibility of the government, not the people, who are often victims of government deception.
Africa has long suffered from a disease often expressed as “my religion, my religion,” where Africans turn against each other based on this principle. It seems we are now about to add another disease to our list of chronic ailments, this time expressed as “my country, my country.” The common thread between the two is that they are both chanted hysterically and of “foreign” origin.
Exit:
A few days ago, Kenyan President William Ruto stated, “Our education and our English are good. Our English is among the best in the world. If you listen to a Nigerian speaking English, you will need a translator.” Former Chadian Justice Minister, Professor Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, described the “Arabpohone” as “pooraphone,” sparking a wild and chaotic backlash in the country.
Therefore, I foresee a third disease waiting its turn to join the list, sharing the same common denominator: “my language, my language.”
And the madness continues …
* Abbas Mohammed writes from PAWA House, Accra, Ghana
