South African Government Unveils New Plan to Tackle Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled plans to send envoys across Africa and to other regions of the world, signalling a stepped-up diplomatic push as South Africa grapples with mounting migration pressures.

Ramaphosa said the initiative is aimed at widening international cooperation on migration, arguing that countries must work in concert to confront the underlying drivers of population movement. He also rejected the characterisation of South Africa’s approach as xenophobic, framing the outreach as an effort to build coordinated solutions rather than assign blame.

The announcement lands in the middle of an increasingly heated national conversation about illegal migration, with public scrutiny intensifying and calls growing louder for government to respond to the challenges linked to undocumented migrants.