Betrayal of brotherhood: How xenophobia in South Africa is burning the bridges of African solidarity

Xenophobia in South Africa is "burning the bridges of African solidarity" in recent waves of violence. Attacks targeting African migrants signal a deeper erosion of historical memory and continental identity.

Independent African states committed scarce resources, diplomatic capital, and human effort to dismantle apartheid. Ghana became a hub for liberation movements, offering training, ideological grounding, and logistical support. Countries such as Angola and Mozambique provided frontline bases for armed resistance movements. Zimbabwe and Zambia hosted exiled activists and political organizations. Nigeria contributed financially. At Adisadel College in the late 1980s, a student named Mayor Agbleze refused to wear sandals for an entire academic year as a symbolic act of solidarity with the imprisoned Mandela. The inauguration of Mandela in 1994 was attended by allies and supporters from across Africa.

Xenophobic violence undermines investor confidence, disrupts small and medium-sized enterprises, and weakens regional integration efforts. Such actions strain relations with neighboring countries and erode South Africa's moral authority.