South Africa’s justice minister has warned that a new wave of xenophobic attacks is damaging the country’s international reputation, as foreign governments repatriate citizens and South African artists and companies face growing backlash across the continent.
Speaking at a briefing on Sunday, Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi urged South Africans to reject vigilantism and allow the government to deal with illegal immigration through lawful channels.
South Africa has seen renewed protests and attacks targeting foreign nationals in recent weeks. Some of those targeted are legally resident in the country, while anti-immigrant groups have blamed migrants for unemployment and crime.
Kubayi said the violence was now hurting South Africans beyond the country’s borders.
“A majority of South African artists perform on the continent, and many of them are seeing their gigs being cancelled,” she said, without naming specific performers.
She added that the government was supporting South African companies operating abroad that had been affected by the backlash.
“We do believe that it can not only hurt the brand, but can hurt our social cohesion,” Kubayi said, noting that even South African citizens had been targeted because of their appearance or the way they spoke.
Xenophobic sentiment has repeatedly flared in South Africa over the years and has gained renewed political attention ahead of local elections expected in November.
Several countries, including Ghana, Malawi and Mozambique, have moved to bring citizens home over safety concerns. Malawi said on Monday it was preparing to repatriate hundreds more nationals by bus from Durban.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the violence on X, calling the attacks a “tragic betrayal” of the African countries that supported South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle.
He said five Ethiopians and five Mozambicans had been killed in attacks.
South Africa’s foreign ministry disputed part of that account, saying the Ethiopian deaths were linked to organised crime rather than xenophobic violence. It said the deaths of the Mozambicans were still under investigation.
“We deeply regret the tragic loss of life in these recent incidents, as one life lost is simply one too many,” foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said.