South African opposition leader Julius Malema has delivered a scathing condemnation of xenophobic violence, warning that attacks on migrants are driven by misplaced blame and political manipulation that deepens division among Africans.
In a fiery address, Malema challenged claims that migrants are responsible for unemployment in South Africa, questioning the impact of violence against them.
He criticised attacks on foreign nationals and migrant-owned businesses, arguing that such actions do not create jobs or improve economic conditions. Instead, he said they destroy livelihoods and deepen poverty.
“You march, close shops and beat up people… how many jobs have you created?” he posed.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader rejected the narrative that migrants from countries such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Ghana are responsible for local economic struggles.
“There is no Zimbabwe that took your land… no Nigerian took your job,” he said, insisting that such claims distort reality and shift attention away from deeper structural problems.
Malema further linked the rise in xenophobic violence to what he described as historical patterns of division, drawing parallels with apartheid-era tactics that allegedly encouraged Black communities to turn against one another.
According to him, similar dynamics are still being used today to divert attention from inequality and lack of economic opportunity.
He said no other African country is to blame. Instead, he pointed to colonial history and ongoing economic injustice as the root causes of unemployment and poverty.
“After beating up fellow Africans, you don’t realise that the same people who made you fight each other during apartheid are the same ones who are doing the same,” he said.
“At the centre of black-on-black hatred is a state-sponsored and capital-sponsored hatred designed to distract you from economic opportunities and to make you blame the wrong people for your misfortune,” he added.