Nigerian social media users have erupted in mockery and outrage, demanding a “medical check-up” for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after he delivered a contradictory national address on xenophobia that appeared to argue both for and against the existence of the problem.
In his June 7 speech, Ramaphosa declared: “We know that South Africans are not xenophobic, as there is no space for xenophobia, for racism, for sexism, for Afrophobia, or any other form of intolerance in South Africa.” Yet minutes later, he warned citizens against violence, stating: “We will and must not allow groups to use legitimate concerns… to destabilise our country through inciting lawlessness and violence.” He also acknowledged that the nation must never “give in to violence, to xenophobia and to vigilantism.”
The apparent double-speak has been labelled a “migration contradiction” by analysts, with critics arguing the President is attempting to condemn xenophobia while reinforcing the assumptions upon which it thrives.
Nigerians who have watched citizens flee South Africa amidst deadly attacks and repatriation flights, the words ring hollow.
The backlash underscores growing frustration across Africa with South African leadership, as Nigerian and other African countries continue to be repatriated following waves of violent xenophobic attacks.
