Viral videos on social media have shown South Africans displaying hostility toward African immigrants, raising fresh concerns about xenophobia.
In one such video, a group of South Africans is seen confronting a Ghanaian, questioning the migrant’s decision to move to South Africa.
“This thing of you guys moving from one country to another is no longer working,” a woman said on behalf of the group.
“We don’t want these African people anymore. We’re tired of seeing African migrants moving all over the world and refusing to fix their own countries. Now we’re making it very clear to you: we don’t want you here; we want you to fix your countries.
“You came here with a travel document, with a passport. You know that you’re a visitor, yet you’ve decided to integrate into our communities. You know very well that what you’re doing is wrong. We can’t come to Ghana and do what you’re doing.”
A South African man then began grilling the Ghanaian over the legality of his documents, accusing him of fraud and forcing him to warn other Ghanaians to leave South Africa before they are targeted.
In another video, some South Africans were seen assaulting a man who was reportedly Ghanaian.
A separate clip showed a South African man filming himself at night and criticising foreigners for “sleeping comfortably in their homes while we, the South Africans, are out here in the cold.”
“They can’t come here and take our sleep away from us,” he said, adding that “they must go back to their countries.”
The videos began circulating on social media on Tuesday.
Residents in Mthatha, a town in the Eastern Cape province, are scheduled to protest on Thursday over growing concerns about the presence of foreign nationals and limited job opportunities for locals.
