Opinion | Our neighbours were once our protectors

South Africa has long regarded itself as the moral and political leader of Africa. Our liberation struggle was not won in isolation.

It was sustained by the sacrifices, solidarity and generosity of countless African nations who opened their borders, trained our freedom fighters, housed exiles and championed our cause in international forums.

Countries such as Zambia, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe paid an enormous price for standing alongside the oppressed people of South Africa. Their people bore economic hardship and military aggression because they believed apartheid was an affront to the entire continent.

Today, many of the grandchildren of those who stood shoulder to shoulder with us have arrived on our shores in search of opportunity and safety. Too often they are met not with gratitude, but with suspicion, hostility and exclusion.

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That reality represents not only a humanitarian concern but also a deep diplomatic wound. South Africa’s migration crisis has become one of the defining challenges of our democracy.

The pressures are undeniable. High unemployment, strained public services, crime and poverty have fuelled frustration among citizens who increasingly view migrants as competitors for scarce jobs and resources. These concerns deserve acknowledgement.

No government can ignore the legitimate anxieties of its own people. Yet leadership requires more than responding to public anger. It requires perspective, compassion and an understanding of history.

When foreign nationals are blamed for South Africa’s socioeconomic failures, we risk forgetting that our neighbours were once our protectors. We diminish the spirit of African solidarity that helped deliver our freedom.

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Xenophobic violence, inflammatory rhetoric and policies perceived as targeting African migrants do more than damage communities; they erode SA’s standing across the continent. Diplomacy is built not only through embassies and trade agreements but also through how nations treat one another’s citizens.

Every attack on an African migrant, every humiliating encounter with authorities and every careless political statement reverberates far beyond our borders.

Governments whose citizens feel unwelcome inevitably begin to question South Africa’s commitment to the ideals it so often espouses in continental forums. As the continent’s most industrialised economy, SA carries responsibilities that extend beyond its borders.

Leadership in Africa cannot simply be proclaimed at summits; it must be demonstrated through principle and conduct. We cannot champion African unity through the African Union while allowing divisions to deepen at home.

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That does not mean embracing uncontrolled migration or abandoning immigration laws. Every sovereign nation has the right and the obligation to manage its borders. Illegal immigration must be addressed through fair, lawful and efficient processes.

Criminality, regardless of nationality, must be prosecuted without fear or favour. But enforcing the law is fundamentally different from stigmatising entire communities or allowing desperation to become an excuse for intolerance. The migration challenge also demands greater regional cooperation.

SA cannot solve this issue alone. Economic instability, political conflict and climate pressures continue to drive migration across the continent.

Sustainable solutions require stronger partnerships with neighbouring states, co-ordinated border management and investment that creates opportunities throughout the region rather than concentrating them in a handful of countries. Above all, South Africa must recover its moral memory.

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We are the beneficiaries of extraordinary African generosity. The freedom we cherish today was nurtured in refugee camps, military training centres and diplomatic missions across the continent.

The men and women who made those sacrifices expected that a democratic South Africa would embody the values of dignity, justice and ubuntu. History will judge us not only by how effectively we secure our borders, but by how faithfully we honour those values.

The grandchildren of those who once sheltered our freedom fighters should never be treated as pariahs simply because they seek a better future. South Africa’s greatest strength has never been its economy or its military. It has been its moral authority.

If we allow fear, resentment and historical amnesia to define our response to migration, we risk losing not only our influence in Africa but also an essential part of ourselves.

Jay Jugwanth is a retired teacher and community activist.