Xenophobic Attacks Betray African Unity: Lumumba

Source: 263chat.com

By Kudzaishe Chimonera Prominent Kenyan Lawyer and Pan-Africanist PLO Lumumba has condemned growing xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa warning that the violence threatens African unity and contradicts the country’s support for Palestinians in Gaza. In an open letter addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and dated 6 May, Lumumba said recent attacks on foreign nationals in cities including Johannesburg and Pretoria reflected what he described as a “dangerous trajectory” in which suspicion and identity were replacing the rule of law. “I write to you not merely as a concerned African but as one who believes deeply in the promise of our continent and in the responsibility that rests upon its leadership,” Lumumba stated in the three-page letter. The former head of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission cited reports of protests, violent confrontations, looting of migrant-owned businesses and harassment of foreigners including documented migrants saying the incidents had created fear among African communities living in South Africa.

According to the letter, at least 130 Nigerian nationals have formally requested repatriation from South Africa over safety concerns amid rising tensions. Lumumba warned that profiling people on the basis of perceived foreign identity risked undermining constitutional protections and public trust in institutions. “Such occurrences reveal a dangerous trajectory, one in which identity becomes a trigger for violence and suspicion replaces law,” he wrote. He also reminded South Africa of the support offered by African countries during the anti-apartheid struggle arguing that the country had a moral responsibility to protect fellow Africans. “Xenophobia, in whatever form it manifests, represents a repudiation of that shared history.

It undermines the ideals of Pan-Africanism. It erodes the principle of African unity,” he said. Lumumba urged the South African government to act decisively by ensuring the safety of all residents regardless of nationality, prosecuting those responsible for xenophobic violence and strengthening public messaging against discrimination. He said repeated attacks on foreigners pointed to wider societal and leadership failures beyond ordinary policing issues. “Where impunity is perceived, it breeds repetition; where accountability is delayed, it weakens confidence and where leadership is hesitant, it creates space for forces that threaten both order and justice,” he stated.

The outspoken lawyer also questioned what he described as a contradiction between South Africa’s international position on Gaza and the treatment of African migrants within its borders. “It cannot be right that the Republic of South Africa stands up for Palestinians in Gaza and yet they are seen to be persecuting their own kith and kin from other African countries,” Lumumba said. Copies of the letter were also sent to Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters. The post Xenophobic Attacks Betray African Unity: Lumumba appeared first on 263Chat .

Related topics: xenophobia, South Africa, African unity, PLO Lumumba, Cyril Ramaphosa, migrant attacks, Pan-Africanism, open letter

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