South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that his country is “deeply concerned and ashamed” by how vigilante groups treated foreign nationals during recent anti-immigrant protests that forced thousands to flee the country.
He made the remarks on Friday, August 14, 2026, whilst delivering a keynote address at a public lecture of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Durban ahead of the 46th ordinary summit of SADC heads of state.
Addressing the audience, President Ramaphosa firmly rejected the hostility targeted at immigrants across the nation.
“We cannot submit to the intimidation and harassment of people seen as coming from elsewhere (other countries),” Ramaphosa said. He reiterated that his administration is deeply concerned and shamed by what had happened.
Expressing regret over the targeted hostility, he added, “As South Africans we are deeply concerned and ashamed that nationals from other countries have in recent months been subjected to discrimination and ill-treatment and were even forced to leave the country under threat of violence.”
Vigilante groups in South Africa recently took to the streets demanding the deportation of undocumented migrants. They staged protests and visited homes, businesses and workplaces to demand identification documents whilst pressuring immigrants to leave.
Cases of violence, intimidation, forced business closures and looting were recorded across affected areas. Thousands of migrants from countries including Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have since returned home through voluntary repatriation or deportation.
Commenting on the unrest, Ramaphosa posited that “The criminal actions of a few within our communities are a repudiation of the solidarity upon which this Southern African (region) is built. We cannot preach integration at summits and practice exclusion in the streets of our countries”.
Ramaphosa further reminded the gathering of the deep historical ties connecting the nations within the regional block. “Southern Africa has borne witness to the movement of people over the millennia. Our people are the products of migration. Migration accounts for much of the diversity as well as the vibrancy and richness of this region,” he said.
SADC is a regional intergovernmental organisation composed of 16 member states whose aims include promoting sustainable economic development, peace and regional integration.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana