President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on African nations to cooperate on managing migration as South Africa grapples with weeks of anti-migrant violence that has left at least four people dead and forced more than 160 000 foreign nationals to flee the country.
Speaking to the Pan-African Parliament on Monday, Ramaphosa warned that unmanaged cross-border movement threatens security and social order across the continent.
“As African countries, we have to acknowledge and address the conditions that drive migration in the first place,” he told the African Union’s legislative body. “We need to work together to address issues like conflict, instability, governance failures, poverty and social discord.”
Mass exodus follows escalating violence
Anti-migrant demonstrations that began last year over undocumented migrants’ access to public health facilities have intensified in 2026, with xenophobic groups demanding all undocumented migrants leave by 30 June.
The violence has triggered one of South Africa’s largest recent migrant exoduses. According to an AFP tally based on figures from repatriating governments, more than 160 000 foreign nationals have left over the past two months.
While authorities confirm at least four deaths, some foreign governments report the toll is higher.
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Ramaphosa condemns attacks
The president described the violence as “sad and abhorrent”, saying South Africa deeply regrets the lives lost.
“We’ve taken a firm stand against hatred for people from other countries, xenophobia or Afrophobia,” Ramaphosa said.
However, his comments come as Ghana, an outspoken critic of the attacks, prepares an African Union debate on the violence. Two Ghanaian citizens have also petitioned the International Criminal Court to investigate what they call “repeated xenophobic attacks” – a move Pretoria has dismissed as “opportunistic”.
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History of xenophobic violence
South Africa, the continent’s wealthiest nation, has long attracted migrants from across Africa but has experienced periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence for nearly two decades.
In 2008, anti-immigrant riots killed 62 people and displaced thousands. Further violence erupted in 2015 and 2016, while unrest in 2019 left at least 12 dead, most of them South African citizens.
This marks the first time such threats have prompted several governments to simultaneously organise coordinated voluntary repatriations for thousands of their nationals.
ALSO READ: Ramaphosa condemns violent anti-immigrant protests, vows to uphold rule of law
