MBABANE – Rising xenophobic tensions in South Africa and growing frustrations over restrictive travel systems across the continent became a major point of concern during the OACPS-African Region Parliamentary Group brainstorming session.
Representatives from different African countries warned that Africa’s integration ambitions risk collapse if Africans continue facing hostility within their own continent.
The issue surfaced during discussions ahead of the 1st Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly, where delegates reflected on challenges affecting African unity, regional cooperation and free movement of people.
One delegate raised alarm over worsening tensions between South Africa and several African countries, arguing that the situation was particularly troubling given the support many African states had extended to South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle.
“The tension between South Africa and other African countries is noted,” the delegate said. “It is concerning considering that many African countries gave assistance to South Africa.”
The representative further revealed that Guinea was seeking to elevate the issue internationally amid growing reports of attacks targeting African migrants in South Africa.
“This morning I received information that Guinea was requesting that the attack of Africans in South Africa be discussed in the next UN meeting,” the delegate said.
The remarks come at a time when South Africa is experiencing renewed anti-migrant protests and violent incidents in several major cities, including Pretoria and Johannesburg. Protest groups such as Operation Dudula have organised demonstrations demanding mass deportations of undocumented migrants, with protesters citing concerns over crime, unemployment and competition for jobs.
Some protests have reportedly turned violent, with foreign-owned businesses targeted and vigilante-style operations emerging in schools, hospitals and communities where individuals are allegedly being asked to produce identification documents.
The developments have triggered concern across the continent.Countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho and Zimbabwe have reportedly issued travel advisories warning their citizens in South Africa to remain cautious amid fears of xenophobic violence. Ghana has also formally requested intervention from the African Union.
Delegates attending the Mbabane brainstorming session said the tensions contradicted the ideals of African solidarity and continental integration that leaders have promoted for decades.The delegate who raised the issue reminded fellow parliamentarians that countries such as Guinea had historically stood with South Africa during its liberation struggle against apartheid.
“Guinea played a role during the apartheid era in South Africa while South Africa was fighting for its independence,” the delegate said.
The discussion soon broadened into wider frustrations over movement restrictions and border controls across Africa, with delegates arguing that Africans still faced unnecessary obstacles when travelling within the continent.
“Even getting here to Eswatini we were subjected to numerous checks,” the delegate said. “Even the last time we were going to Mozambique I was subjected to numerous checks.”
According to the representative, Africa’s integration agenda would remain incomplete if ordinary Africans continued experiencing barriers and suspicion while crossing borders within the continent.
“The question of integration should be spoken widely,” the delegate added. Attention then shifted to the role of regional blocs in promoting freer movement, with the Economic Community of West African States highlighted as an example of progress in regional integration.
Economic Community of West African States, established in 1975 and headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, has long promoted policies aimed at easing movement between member states.
Citizens of ECOWAS countries are generally allowed visa-free travel within the bloc for short-term stays, a policy widely regarded as one of the organisation’s major successes.
“In ECOWAS the freedom of movement is now easier,” the delegate noted.The representative suggested that other regional blocs on the continent could learn from the ECOWAS model in advancing integration and reducing bureaucratic travel barriers.
The comments reflected broader concerns raised during the brainstorming session about whether Africa was moving quickly enough towards meaningful unity despite repeated political commitments through structures such as the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Delegates argued that integration should not only focus on trade and diplomatic agreements, but also on the lived experiences of African citizens travelling, working and conducting business across borders.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration have publicly condemned attacks on foreign nationals. However, the South African government has also defended what it describes as the legitimate right of citizens to protest against undocumented migration.
Officials in Pretoria have further argued that some videos circulating online purporting to show attacks on foreigners were misleading or artificially generated in an effort to damage the country’s image internationally.
Despite these assurances, concern continues to mount across Africa as reports of intimidation and violence persist.
Delegates warned that unless African governments collectively address xenophobia, migration tensions and restrictive border systems, the continent’s vision of unity could face growing public skepticism.
For many parliamentarians gathered at the brainstorming session, the debate underscored a deeper contradiction facing Africa: while leaders frequently speak of continental solidarity and “African solutions to African problems,” many Africans still struggle to move freely and safely within their own continent.
The discussions also highlighted increasing pressure on African institutions and governments to move beyond symbolic declarations and implement policies that genuinely promote regional integration, mutual respect and people-to-people connectivity.
As deliberations continued, delegates repeatedly emphasized that Africa’s future unity would ultimately depend not only on agreements signed by governments, but also on how Africans themselves treat one another across borders.
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