There Is No Xenophobia In South Africa — SA Consul-General Moroe

South Africa’s Consul-General in Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, has dismissed concerns over xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other foreigners in South Africa, insisting that “there is no xenophobia in South Africa.”

Moroe made the assertion during an interview on Nigeria Info FM while responding to concerns over the repeated targeting of Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country.

The interviewer noted that Nigerians remained concerned about reports of attacks against foreigners, particularly attempts to attribute such incidents solely to illegal migration, while recalling previous xenophobic attacks involving Nigerians and other migrants.

“There’s no xenophobia in South Africa,” Moroe responded.

When asked whether previous attacks against foreigners in South Africa could be described as xenophobic, the Consul-General referred to historical incidents involving foreigners in Nigeria, including the expulsion of Ghanaians during the “Ghana Must Go” era.

According to him, the action was driven by economic concerns rather than hatred for foreigners.

“We only said they should go back to their country because, you know, we wanted better economy for ourselves,” Moroe said.

Addressing concerns that the current situation could be linked to previous attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, Moroe acknowledged that Nigerians had genuine reasons to be worried.

“Yeah, no, your concerns are genuine. But as a government, we condemn abuse of any individuals, whether South African or foreigner, even if you are illegal.

“Whether you are legal or illegal, you have a right according to the South African Constitution for protection,” he said.

Moroe explained that South Africans were raising concerns over unemployment, inequality and poverty, but stressed that the government does not support the use of violence to address such challenges.

He said the South African government was committed to protecting individuals irrespective of their nationality or immigration status.

The Consul-General also argued that the term “xenophobia” had become disproportionately associated with South Africa, noting that similar incidents in other countries were often described differently.

“The nomenclature xenophobia has become synonymous with South Africa. If it happens in other countries like it’s happening in Ghana now, it is not given the name xenophobia, it’s called something else,” Moroe said.

His comments come amid continuing concerns among Nigerians over the safety and treatment of Nigerian nationals and other African migrants in South Africa.

The two countries have historically maintained strong diplomatic, economic and people-to-people relations, although tensions have periodically emerged over migration, crime, economic competition and attacks against foreign nationals.