JOHANNESBURG – South Africa hit back at accusations of xenophobia on Wednesday following protests against undocumented migrants, saying African countries should focus on issues such as instability and poor governance that are causing their people to flee.
A series of anti-migrant protests in recent weeks in Africa's most industrialized country, as well as claims of attacks against foreigners, have prompted Nigeria and Ghana to express concern.
“South Africans are not xenophobic,” presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya told reporters. “You have spaces of protest, which are acceptable within our constitutional framework.”
In fresh demonstrations on Wednesday, hundreds of people marched in Durban and other centers demanding that the government take action against undocumented migrants running businesses such as small shops.
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Protests in the past months have also sought to deny undocumented foreigners access to South African clinics and hospitals.
In talks on Tuesday, Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo and President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed that “the continent needs to work together to address the issues that are behind these levels of migration”, Magwenya said.
These include “issues of conflict, instability, and in some areas… misgovernance which have led to large numbers of people fleeing and seeking refuge in different parts of the continent, including South Africa”.
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“There must be a willingness to engage constructively on these issues and factors behind people leaving their country of origin and seeking asylum elsewhere,” Magwenya said.
Nigeria has announced emergency repatriation flights for its citizens living in South Africa and warned Pretoria on Monday that it was not doing enough to reduce anti-immigrant threats and harassment.
Ghana summoned South Africa's envoy in late April over several “xenophobic incidents”.
Magwenya said the label of xenophobia was a “lazy” analysis that risked “falsely stigmatizing” South Africa in the same way as false US claims of “genocide” against its white minority.