Ramaphosa Urges Unity as Anti-Migrant Protests and Violence Spread Across South Africa

(South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo by BBC)

Following a recent surge of anti-immigrant rioting and violence, President Cyril Ramaphosa encouraged South Africans on Tuesday not to blame migrants for the nation’s issues.

South Africa, one of Africa’s biggest economies, has historically drawn both legal and illegal migrant laborers from all over the continent.

However, in recent weeks, South African crowds armed with sticks, whips, and shields have marched through several sections of the nation, demanding that immigrants without residency documents depart by June 30.

In a speech on Youth Day, which honored the 1976 Soweto uprising that contributed to the end of apartheid, Ramaphosa stated, “There are some who blame the problems of the current government, of unemployment and crime and poor service delivery, on foreign nationals.”

He stated, “Even though we acknowledge the problem of illegal immigration, which we are taking decisive action to address, our problems are… our own problems, and we have a responsibility to fix ourselves.”

According to the president, 42% of young people are unemployed, compared to 32% of workers overall.

He described the government’s job-creation initiatives and called on the private sector to provide young people without prior work experience with first-time opportunities.

The president went on, “Practical solutions are needed to address these challenges, not the scapegoating of vulnerable people.”

Following the ceremony, Ramaphosa warned people who were “making a lot of noise” about the protests demanding that undocumented migrants go back home.

He stated, “It appears that there is an intention to destabilize the country, and the clear message is that we are not going to allow that.”

Citizens of Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique have agreed to voluntary repatriation arranged by their governments due to growing security concerns following business looting and attacks on foreigners.

The national statistics bureau reports that 5.1 percent of South Africa’s population, or over three million people, are foreigners.