When Julius Malema declared that “there are too many illegal white immigrants in South Africa,” he did more than make another controversial political statement. He revealed the conversation that many South Africans, Africans and even international observers often avoid.
For years, South Africa's immigration debate has focused primarily on Africans from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Mozambique, Somalia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Ghana and other countries. Political speeches, public anger and social media campaigns often point fingers at black African immigrants. Yet Malema's statement asks a question that many governments, politicians and activists seem unwilling to answer:
Why does the conversation about illegal immigration often begin and end with Africans?
South Africa's historical wound still persists
To understand the debate, one has to understand the history of South Africa.
South Africa's modern economy was created through colonial conquest, land dispossession, racial segregation, and ultimately apartheid. For decades, black South Africans were excluded from economic opportunities, while the white minority controlled most of the country's property and land.
Even after the fall of apartheid in 1994, economic inequality remained deeply racialized. Today, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. Many poor black South Africans struggle with unemployment, poverty, crime and inadequate public services while wealth is heavily concentrated.
In this backdrop, immigration has become an easy political target.
When unemployment rises and service delivery collapses, frustrated citizens often look for visible targets. Foreign Africans become convenient scapegoats.
the question no one wants to ask
If South Africa is really concerned about illegal immigration, is the law being enforced equally?
How much scrutiny has been done on undocumented European, American, Asian or wealthy foreign investors living in South Africa?
How many immigration raids occur in affluent suburbs compared to informal settlements?
How many politicians demanding action against African migrants are equally vocal about undocumented migrants from wealthier regions of the world?
These are uncomfortable questions because they challenge whether immigration enforcement is really about legality or whether it is influenced by race, class, and economic status.
Malema's argument does not necessarily mean that illegal immigration should be ignored. Rather, it raises concerns about selective outrage.
Is South Africa fighting illegal immigration or fighting Africans?
This may be the most important question.
If immigration laws are broken, governments have a duty to enforce them. No serious country can function without immigration controls.
However, critics argue that public anger in South Africa is often directed primarily at black Africans rather than illegal immigration.
When violence erupts, Nigerian-owned shops are attacked.
Zimbabwean workers are threatened.
Somali traders are targeted.
Mozambican immigrants have been blamed.
Yet discussions about undocumented immigrants from rich countries rarely generate the same kind of public outcry.
This disparity has led some analysts and political figures, including Malema, to describe the phenomenon not as xenophobia alone, but as “Afrophobia” hostility directed specifically towards fellow Africans.
Paradox of Pan-Africanism
South Africa played a central role in the African liberation struggle.
Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Angola and other countries supported anti-apartheid activists, offering asylum, providing funding and campaigning internationally against apartheid.
Many Africans saw South Africa's independence as a victory for the entire continent.
This raises another difficult question:
Has South Africa forgotten who stood with it during apartheid?
When African immigrants face attacks, some people across the continent feel betrayed. They ask why citizens of countries that once supported South Africa's liberation are now treated as unwanted outsiders.
What are the same people doing about white illegal immigrants chasing other Africans?
This is perhaps the most controversial issue raised by Malema.
If activist groups claim they are fighting illegal immigration, are they equally concerned about every undocumented migrant, regardless of race?
Are they calling for an investigation into all immigration violations?
Or do their campaigns focus primarily on poor Africans who are easiest to identify and target?
If immigration enforcement appears selective, public confidence in the process is weakened.
A law that is applied differently based on race or nationality stops looking like justice and starts looking like discrimination.
Is South Africa a serious country?
A serious country protects its borders.
A serious country enforces immigration laws.
A serious country protects its citizens.
But a serious country also protects legal immigrants, investors, refugees, and foreign workers from mob justice.
The challenge for South Africa is not whether immigration should be regulated. Every sovereign state has this right.
The challenge is whether the government can enforce immigration laws without allowing vigilantism, xenophobic violence, and collective punishment.
When ordinary citizens begin conducting immigration checks on the streets, demanding documents and attacking suspected foreigners, a dangerous line is crossed. Even critics of illegal immigration have warned against mobs taking over the role of law enforcement.
The questions no one else is asking
– Why is illegal immigration discussed more than the government's failure to create jobs?
– Why are migrants blamed for unemployment when economic growth has been stalled for years?
– How many politicians benefit politically from anti-immigrant rhetoric?
– If South Africa's economy is reportedly collapsing, why does it continue to attract migrants?
– Are foreigners the cause of African crime, or are they convenient targets for public frustration?
– Why do some communities attack immigrants while remaining silent about corruption that steals billions from public institutions?
– If all undocumented immigrants left tomorrow, would unemployment suddenly disappear?
– Is the real crisis immigration, or governance?
big african question
This debate is no longer just about South Africa.
It is about the future of African unity.
Can Africa talk seriously about continental integration while Africans fear attack from fellow African countries?
Can the African Continental Free Trade Area succeed if Africans see each other as competitors rather than partners?
Can leaders preach African unity at summits while ordinary Africans face hostility in the streets?
These questions will define the future of the continent.
final thoughts
Julius Malema is one of Africa's most controversial political figures. His critics accuse him of inflammatory rhetoric and political opportunism, while supporters see him as someone willing to challenge uncomfortable truths.
Yet regardless of where one stands politically, his statement forces South Africa to confront a bigger issue than immigration.
The real question is not whether illegal immigrants exist or not.
The real question is whether South Africa is prepared to enforce its laws impartially, consistently protect human dignity, and distinguish between legitimate immigration enforcement and hostility toward fellow Africans.
Until that question is answered honestly, the immigration debate will remain less about legality and more about identity, inequality and the unfinished work of South Africa's democratic project.
By:
patrick bellebang yagasori
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