“SOUTH AFRICANS ARE AFRICANS.” RAMAPHOSA TO RUTO: WE ARE NOT XENOPHOBIC, WE ARE PROBLEM-SOLVERS
- Mpho Dube
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact
PRETORIA | 4 June 2026— With protests raging and immigration tensions flaring, President Cyril Ramaphosa looked his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto in the eye at the Union Buildings and drew a line: South Africa will not be defined by violence against foreigners.
“South Africans are not xenophobic. South Africans are Africans, and they want to live with other Africans peacefully,” Ramaphosa said Thursday during Ruto’s state visit. “Our people are calling on us as leaders to resolve the many challenges that are brought to bear by migration.”
The message was clear and unapologetic. The country is frustrated with illegal migration, collapsing services, and unemployment. But frustration, Ramaphosa insisted, is not hatred. Demands for lawful order are not calls for blood.
The bilateral talks came as demonstrations erupted in several provinces. Groups marched demanding stricter measures against undocumented migrants. The immigration discourse is raw, emotional, and dangerous.
Yet while crowds shouted outside, Ramaphosa chose diplomacy inside. Hosting Ruto to strengthen economic cooperation, he reminded Kenya — and the continent — that South Africa’s relationship with its neighbours runs deeper than politics.
In 2022 South Africa granted Kenyans visa-free access for 90 days per year on ordinary passports. That move was about trade, travel, and trust. Thursday’s meeting was about protecting that trust when it’s under strain.
Ramaphosa and his ministers were firm: South Africa is not opposed to foreign nationals. It is committed to lawful migration and regional cooperation.
The President’s formulation was deliberate. He separated the people from the problem.
The people of South Africa want African brothers and sisters to live here in peace. The problem is unregulated migration that strains schools, clinics, jobs and housing.
“Our people are calling on us as leaders to resolve the many challenges,” he said. That is statesmanship. Acknowledge the pain. Reject the scapegoating. Take responsibility.
Ruto’s visit focused on trade and economic ties worth billions. The President made sure the economic agenda wasn’t drowned by fear. You can secure borders and still keep your humanity. You can enforce the law and still honour Ubuntu.
Ramaphosa’s words were not just for Ruto. They were for the continent. For every African watching South Africa and wondering if “we are one” still means anything.
Xenophobic violence has stained this country before. Ramaphosa knows the cost — diplomatically, economically, morally. So he said it plainly: South Africans are Africans. Full stop. Not a qualifier. Not a defence. An identity.
That identity demands two things at once: protect your citizens, and protect the African project. Demand documents. Close loopholes. Prosecute criminal syndicates. But do not torch a neighbour’s spaza shop. Do not beat a man because of his accent.
Strong leadership in a moment like this isn’t choosing between borders and brotherhood. It’s insisting on both.
Ramaphosa told Ruto what the world needs to hear: South Africans are angry about migration management, not murderous toward migrants. They want solutions, not slaughter.
He also told South Africans what they need to hear: Your frustration is valid. Your demand for law and order is legitimate. But your identity as Africans is non-negotiable.
The protests will continue. Policy will be tested. Parliament will debate.
But on 4 June 2026, at the Union Buildings, the President planted a flag: We will fix migration. We will not fix it with xenophobia.
SOUTH AFRICANS ARE AFRICANS. WE SOLVE PROBLEMS. WE DON’T BECOME THEM.
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