South Africa's President Ramaphosa moves to diffuse anti-immigrant tensions in TV address

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa moved to diffuse growing anti-immigrant tensions on Sunday with a speech on national television. The country has seen weeks of protests and violent attacks, amid calls for a crackdown on immigration.

"We will not be fooled or influenced by social media campaigns that spread misinformation, fake news and lies about people who are in our country," Ramaphosa says. "We must be concerned that anti-foreigner sentiment is at times accompanied by tribal and ethnic slurs, insults and attacks aimed at other South Africans. This is not acceptable."

Anti-immigrant groups say foreign nationals in South Africa illegally are exacerbating the country’s high unemployment and putting pressure on public health and education services.

But Ramaphosa said iIllegal immigration is not the cause of all of the country's economic challenges:

"There are other causes. The answer must be faster economic growth, greater investments, industrial expansion, infrastructure development and the creation of new jobs."

South Africa's coalition government placed a new focus on the issue of immigration after it was formed in 2024 and says it has deported over 100,000 people in the last two years who were in the country illegally.

Ramaphosa said there had been “weaknesses” in the way South Africa has managed migration and promised the government would take “decisive” action now.

"The Department of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority, the South African Police Service, and other law enforcement agencies have been -- and will -- intensify the process of identifying and deporting undocumented foreign nationals residing illegally in South Africa," he said.

But he warned that authorities would not tolerate anyone taking the law into their own hands.

“Only authorized government officials can act against violations of our law,” Ramaphosa said, warning that some groups were “inciting” tensions.

Anti-migrant protest groups have said they've set a June 30 deadline for foreign nationals who are in South Africa illegally to leave and have requested talks with the government.

Ghana has already repatriated around 300 of its nationals and said more will be offered the chance to return home because of what it called threats against them. A number of other countries including Nigeria and Malawi have announced they will repatriate their citizens.

Mozambique's government said that five of its citizens were killed in what it referred to as "xenophobic attacks" in the town of Mossel Bay on South Africa's south coast.

South Africa has a history of violence against migrants, including in 2008 when more than 60 people were killed.