By: Saneliso Mlambo
President Cyril Ramaphosa criticised South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals during a UKZN lecture Friday. He addressed xenophobia in Durban ahead of the 46th SADC Summit. Ramaphosa said violence against migrants undermines regional solidarity and integration.
Speaking at UKZN’s Westville Campus, Ramaphosa said South Africans should feel ashamed. He referred to foreign nationals forced to leave South Africa under threats of violence.
“The criminal actions of a few within our communities are a repudiation of the solidarity upon which this Southern African community is built,” Ramaphosa said.
“We cannot preach integration at summits and practice exclusion in the streets of our countries,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the issue extends beyond South Africa’s borders. He urged Southern African countries to address the challenge as a regional community.
He said migration has shaped Southern Africa for thousands of years. Ramaphosa said migration also contributes to the region’s diversity and cultural richness.
“Southern Africa has borne witness to the movement of people over millennia,” Ramaphosa said.
He said Southern Africans themselves are products of migration. He also pointed to similarities between languages spoken across Southern African countries.
The remarks came as South Africa prepares to host the 46th SADC Summit. Regional leaders will meet in Durban on August 16 and 17.