By Simon Nare
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has condemned the circulation of fabricated video footage purporting to show South Africans attacking foreign nationals, saying the content is being used to inflame tensions, damage the country’s international reputation and falsely portray South Africa as xenophobic.
Her comments come amid renewed concern over anti-immigrant sentiment following recent protests against illegal immigration in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban.
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The demonstrations, led by March and March, have revived memories of past outbreaks of xenophobic violence, including the 2008 attacks in which about 60 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday, Ntshavheni said the videos circulating on social media were deliberately misleading and intended to undermine both South Africa’s standing abroad and its broader continental agenda.
She cited clips depicting people being attacked with machetes, arguing that such imagery was inconsistent with typical patterns of violence in the country.
While affirming the right to protest against illegal immigration, she said any violence associated with such demonstrations was unacceptable.
“But violence linked to those protests in the past is not acceptable and law enforcement must deal with the instigators of such violence,” she said.
“It was very clear and it was communicated to the law enforcement department to make sure that the perpetrators and instigators are brought to book.”
Ntshavheni also accused unnamed African countries of contributing to narratives portraying South Africa as xenophobic, while themselves deporting African nationals.
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She said elements were exploiting public frustration over unemployment and economic hardship to mobilise instability, including attacks on foreign nationals and what she described as “tribal mobilisation.”
“Cabinet condemned the opportunistic attempts to hijack the genuine concerns of South Africans about high unemployment and limited economic opportunities,” she said.
At the same time, she pointed to pressures in the labour market, including allegations that some employers prefer foreign nationals for lower wages and weaker enforcement of labour protections.
“There are problems of employers choosing to employ foreign nationals because they can abuse them for cheaper labour, without following the labour laws of the country, and then forgo a South African,” she said.
Ntshavheni dismissed suggestions that government was not acting against illegal immigration, saying enforcement measures had been strengthened through the Border Management Authority and other interventions.
She said more than 500,000 undocumented migrants had been deported since the establishment of the authority.
Cabinet, she added, had instructed the Department of Employment and Labour to intensify workplace inspections in sectors including hospitality, agriculture, trucking and construction.
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Municipalities were also directed to enforce by-laws, particularly those governing informal trading, while citizens were urged not to sublet business licences to foreign nationals.
The government is also preparing legislative changes that would restrict foreign nationals from operating in certain sectors and move refugee reception centres closer to border posts, part of a revised immigration policy framework.
