Mmusi Maimane Condemns Xenophobia, Calls for Humane Immigration System in South Africa

Mmusi Maimane has condemned anti-migrant violence in South Africa and called for a regulated immigration system that protects human dignity while strengthening border management. Speaking during an Africa Day event at Constitution Hill on Monday, 25 May, the leader of Build One South Africa (BOSA) warned that xenophobia was rooted in “fear, tribalism and division”.

Addressing diplomats, media representatives and invited guests, Maimane outlined a five-point plan aimed at improving immigration management and border security while rejecting violence against foreign nationals.

Quoting from Africa My Beginning, Africa My Ending, a 1979 poem by Ingoapele Madingoane, Maimane referenced former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

“They asked Mugabe, what do you want here, my brother? He said, ‘All Africans are my brothers,’” Maimane said. “Note that he said all Africans. Not some Africans. Not Africans of convenience. But all Africans.”

Maimane criticised what he described as “nefarious movements” targeting foreign nationals, specifically mentioning groups such as Operation Dudula and March and March. He accused such organisations of taking the law into their own hands and fuelling hostility against fellow Africans.

The BOSA leader acknowledged growing frustration among South Africans over unemployment, crime, housing shortages and pressure on public services.

“Communities feel abandoned. South Africans feel economically cornered. Migrants often live in fear and exploitation. And government has failed to provide leadership,” he said.

Maimane noted that South Africa’s economy continues to struggle, with economic growth reportedly failing to exceed 1% in recent years.

He argued that the immigration debate had become dangerously polarised between those denying the existence of a migration crisis and those advocating hostility toward migrants.

“Both positions are intellectually inadequate,” he said. “A mature response requires that we hold both realities at once: that migration must be regulated, and that human dignity must be protected without exception.”

Maimane also criticised the South African government for allegedly underfunding the Border Management Authority and failing to establish effective migrant registration systems.

“It suits government when we turn our hatred toward one another, for then we don’t hold it accountable,” he said.

The opposition leader warned that xenophobia would not solve the country’s economic or social problems.

“Hatred of fellow Africans will not solve our healthcare crisis. Xenophobia will not create jobs. Violence against immigrants will not restore safety to our communities,” he said.

Turning to broader continental issues, Maimane said Africa accounts for only about 3% of global trade despite its vast natural and human resources. He referenced a study conducted by the Jubilee Commission led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and supported by the late Pope Francis.

According to the study, nearly three in five Africans live in countries spending more on debt repayments than on education or healthcare.

“Africa cannot fully develop while chained to perpetual debt. The global West must support meaningful debt relief,” Maimane said.

Invoking the African philosophy of Ubuntu, he concluded: “Xenophobia is the antithesis of Ubuntu. I am my brother’s keeper.”

Mmusi Maimane xenophobia