The Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, has condemned the resurgence of xenophobic violence against African migrants in South Africa, describing the attacks as unlawful, unacceptable, and fundamentally unAfrican.
Delivering a statement on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, Hon. Dafeamekpor expressed deep concern over recent incidents in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal, where viral videos and eyewitness accounts have shown groups of people stopping African nationals in public spaces, demanding identity documents and intimidating migrant-owned businesses.
According to him, the incidents represent more than isolated disturbances or social frustrations and point to the dangerous normalisation of organised hostility against fellow Africans under the guise of “clean-up operations,” “citizen enforcement,” and “community protection.”
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He revealed that among the victims was a Ghanaian national who was lawfully resident in South Africa and was reportedly confronted and told to ‘fix his own country.’
“This is unacceptable. It is unlawful. And above all, it is profoundly unAfrican,” he stated.
The South Dayi legislator stressed that no private citizen has the authority to act as an immigration officer and no mob has the constitutional right to determine who belongs in Africa.
He warned that the growing pattern of intimidation and violence represents a dangerous collapse between lawful governance and street vigilantism.
Hon. Dafeamekpor reminded Parliament that South Africa occupies a special place in the conscience of Africa because many African countries, including Ghana, stood firmly with South Africans during the apartheid era by offering diplomatic support, financial assistance, scholarships, and moral solidarity for the liberation struggle.
He said it was therefore painful that Africans who once championed South Africa’s freedom now live in fear within its borders.
The Majority Chief Whip also stressed what he described as a broader moral contradiction created by the crisis, noting that South Africa has earned global recognition for speaking strongly against injustice and alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza while xenophobic violence persists against fellow Africans within the country.
“A nation cannot credibly condemn dehumanisation abroad while tolerating the dehumanisation of Africans at home,” he said.
According to him, human rights cannot be defended selectively, and justice loses credibility when compassion ends at national borders.
Hon. Dafeamekpor argued that xenophobia not only threatens migrants but also undermines Africa’s collective moral authority on global justice, human rights, and international solidarity.
He pointed to Ghana’s long-standing economic cooperation with South Africa, noting that several South African companies, including MTN, DStv, Stanbic Bank, Protea Hotels, Shoprite, South African Airways, Absa, and Gold Fields, continue to operate successfully in Ghana and have benefited from the country’s stable investment environment and hospitality.
He emphasised that Ghanaians have not attacked South African businesses or organised campaigns against South African workers because of their nationality.
“That is the Africa we believe in. An Africa where economic cooperation replaces suspicion. An Africa where nationality is not treated as a crime. An Africa where African prosperity is shared, not weaponised,” he stated.
The Majority Chief Whip clarified that his statement was not intended to inflame tensions against South Africans, many of whom have themselves condemned the attacks, but rather to call for urgency, accountability, and continental responsibility.
He urged the African continent not to remain silent while anti-African violence evolves into organised intimidation.
Hon. Dafeamekpor therefore called for a formal resolution by the Pan-African Parliament condemning xenophobic violence against African nationals anywhere on the continent.
He also advocated immediate investigations and prosecutions of individuals and groups involved in assaults, intimidation, looting and hate-driven vigilantism in South Africa.
Additionally, he called for stronger protection mechanisms for African migrants, traders, refugees, students, and workers living in member states, as well as the establishment of a continental early warning and response framework for xenophobic violence under the African Union’s peace and security architecture.
The South Dayi MP further proposed greater economic cooperation and youth employment strategies across Africa to address the socioeconomic frustrations that often fuel xenophobic mobilisation.
He urged for a reaffirmation of Pan-African solidarity and the principle that every African life matters equally across the continent.
“Africa cannot preach unity in Addis Ababa while Africans bleed in African streets. We cannot celebrate Pan-Africanism ceremonially while tolerating anti-African violence politically,” he declared.
Invoking the legacies of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba, and Julius Nyerere, Hon. Dafeamekpor said history would judge whether Africa stood together when hatred rose within its borders.
“Let our answer be courage over fear, unity over division, and justice over silence. And let us do so as Africans first,” he said.