A number of South Africans have been proclaimed persona non grata throughout the continent by a coalition of African activists operating under the name Africa Resistance Against Xenophobia.
They are accused of encouraging a “barbaric” wave of violence and mob deaths against Black migrants.
The group called the continuous attacks a betrayal of the continent’s liberation movement and a pollution of the spirit of Ubuntu in a scathing press release signed by Francis Nwapa (Nigeria) and Kweku Essel (Ghana) on May 2, 2026.
The activists specifically demanded that the following persons, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, Zandile Dabula, Ngizwe Mchunu, Teresa Nortjie, and Pat Mokgalusi, be isolated and investigated for their alleged participation in encouraging or excusing the heinous killings of fellow Africans and the robbery of their businesses.
“What is unfolding in South Africa today is not just violence, it is a profound betrayal of the spirit of Ubuntu, a desecration of the blood-soaked history of our liberation, and an insult to the memory of those who fought to free this continent from the chains of colonialism and apartheid”, the statement obtained by ENigeria Newspaper partly reads.
“From Kwame Nkrumah to Patrice Lumumba, from Thomas Sankara to Amílcar Cabral, from Julius Nyerere to Nelson Mandela, our freedom fighters did not struggle, bleed, and die so that Africans would turn against Africans.
“They stood for unity. They built solidarity across borders. They understood a simple truth: Africa is one.
“Yet today, a dangerous wave of xenophobia, fueled by reckless rhetoric and deliberate incitement, has led to the gruesome murder of fellow Africans, the looting and destruction of their businesses, and the normalization of hatred against Black migrants in South Africa.
“They are naïve to the struggles that gave them the very freedom they now abuse. Worse still, they are actively dragging Africa back toward the dark days of slavery, apartheid, and colonial division, systems designed to make Africans hate one another while others exploit the continent.
“We therefore unequivocally condemn the following individuals for their roles in promoting, inciting, or justifying xenophobic violence: Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, Zandile Dabula, Ngizwe Mchunu, Teresa Nortjie and Pat Mokgalusi.
“These individuals must be isolated, investigated, and held accountable for the climate of violence that has led to mob killings and the destruction of livelihoods.
“We call on leaders across all 54 African countries to immediately declare these promoters of xenophobia persona non grata, placing them on an African human rights violations and xenophobic violence watchlist.”
What is happening in South Africa?
Protests against illegal immigration are causing a great deal of tension in South Africa, as mobs continue to damage factories and retail centers while protesters target foreigners in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
As a result of the crackdown, immigrants, including Nigerians, are beginning to evacuate the cities of South Africa.
