A white South African public affairs analyst and youth activist, Pieter Kriel, has called for urgent action to address what he described as “afrophobia” in South Africa, warning that the issue is often mistaken for xenophobia.
Speaking in an interview with News Central TV, Kriel said, “We need to be very careful about xenophobia,” adding that “South Africa does not have a xenophobia problem.
"We have an afrophobia problem.”
He explained that while many foreigners live in the country, not all face the same treatment.
“We have a lot of foreigners in this country, whether legally or illegally, who are not from Africa.
"They are not being discriminated against,” he said.
Kriel described recent attacks on African migrants as troubling.
“There is no such thing as an illegal African in South Africa.
"Africa belongs to Africans,” he said.
“It is very sad to see that people are being beaten in the streets.”
He urged African leaders to take stronger steps through the African Union.
“Negotiations have to be had,” he said, calling for better border management and stronger cooperation in trade and investment across the continent.
Kriel also pointed to economic challenges in other African countries as a key reason for migration.
“We need to ask why people are coming. It is because their government has let them down,” he said.
He called for empathy and unity, adding, “We need to ask, 'What can we do as an African continent to solve the problem of illegal immigration and joblessness?'”
