About 50 people killed in xenophobic violence in South Africa over three years — Daily Maverick
About 50 people have been killed in xenophobia-related incidents in South Africa over the past three years, according to the Xenowatch monitoring platform. A Daily Maverick column notes that violence against African migrants has also involved injuries, displacement, forced repatriations and the destruction of businesses.
From June 2026 until the publication date, eight deaths linked to attacks on Africans had been confirmed, according to the cited data. The dead include Nigerian citizens Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle and James Uchechukwu Nwankwo. The Ghana News Agency also reported the deaths of two Ghanaian citizens in July and August.
Accusations against migrants
The column’s author writes that politicians used anti-migrant sentiment, including during South Africa’s 2024 elections. Foreigners are blamed for a shortage of jobs, pressure on healthcare and other services, as well as crime. According to the author, the country’s unemployment rate is 33.6%.
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At the same time, UN estimates indicate that as of mid-2024, about 2.63 million immigrants lived in South Africa, which has a population of 65 million. Most of them were born in countries of the Southern African Development Community, while about a quarter were born in other African states. Among immigrants from outside the countries of this region, Nigerians accounted for about 1%, or 24,718 people.
Inequality and Africa’s response
The author also links xenophobic sentiment to deep social inequality. Employment data for 2024 cited in the column show that white employees held 61.1% of senior management positions, while Africans held 18%. The average income of households headed by white South Africans in 2022/23 was almost five times higher than that of households headed by Black Africans.
According to the article, xenophobic outbreaks in South Africa began in 1994, while the first large-scale surge occurred in 2008. The author calls on South African authorities, the African Union and leaders of other African countries to more actively counter violence against migrants.
