I am writing as a Ghanaian who has lived, studied, and worked in three countries: Ghana, Swaziland, and South Africa.
Due to that life experience, I reject the easy labeling that South Africans are xenophobic.
What we see in South Africa today is not xenophobia. It is what happens in any country when there is leadership paralysis, chaos and anarchy becomes the order of the day. When the state fails to secure its borders, regulate immigration, curb crime, and communicate clearly, ordinary citizens step in to “solve” the problem just as it’s being experienced in SA. The result is almost always disorder and violence. That is failed governance, not national hatred.
I know this because I lived in Eswatini as a Ghanaian. We were subjected to ugly name-calling. Once every month, law enforcement targeted undocumented Ghanaians for harassment. People were forcefully removed from their rented apartments, loaded into police trucks like firewood, and deported. Some Ghanaians were recruited to work in sugarcane fields by citizens. At the end of the month, those same employers would call law enforcement. The workers were arrested and deported without their salaries.
Refugee camps were created for both South Africans and Ghanaians, but in separate communities. The state decided who belonged where.
But because Swazis were doing it, nobody called it xenophobia. There were no global headlines about “Swazi xenophobia.” It was treated as immigration enforcement.
In Mozambique, foreigners going to visit are subjected to roadblocks or what President Venâncio Mondlane once described as “slavery toll gates.” Law enforcement demands bribes everywhere a foreigner goes within the country. By the time they arrive at their destination, they are left with nothing.
Ghana recently deported 1000s of illegal immigrants including Nigerians, Malians, et al back to their home countries because they flouted their immigration laws when there was a change in government in 2025, reasons given; overstayed their welcome, illegal activities…
The difference is not the behaviour but the size of South Africa, media presence and economic strength. Millions migrate to South Africa because it works better than their home countries. When tensions flare there, the camera lenses open. When same or worse happen in smaller states, the world turns a blind eye.
South Africans need to be engaged by their leaders. That means the government should start leading from outside the walls of Parliament. Secure the borders. Deal with illegal immigration like other African countries are doing. It is their sovereign right.
In reality, South Africa has been the most tolerant country on the continent. It has absorbed thousands if not millions from all walks of life. What we are witnessing now is not hatred for foreigners. It is the outcome of years neglect, without clear policy direction, law enforcement and honest conversation with citizens.
Call it what you may, lack of leadership. When the state relinquishes its duties, the street takes over and the street has no training, no law, and no accountability.
If we are honest, the same behaviour we condemn in South Africa exists across Africa. The cure is not shaming South Africans. The cure is leadership in Pretoria, Mbabane, Accra, and across Africa
Writer: Kennedy Asare Sakyi; Investigative Journalist, News Editor Ghasa Radio/TV, South Africa
