South Africa Halts AU Agenda Push on Xenophobic Violence, Proposes Alternative

South Africa blocked Ghana’s attempt on Wednesday to place xenophobic violence on the agenda of the African Union’s Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, scheduled for October in Alamein, Egypt. The move came during an AU Executive Council meeting of foreign ministers in Addis Ababa, where Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola countered Ghana’s proposal by calling instead for a continent-wide examination of migration patterns and their underlying causes.

The Executive Council rejected Ghana’s proposal outright. South Africa will not face direct scrutiny at the mid-year gathering. South Africa’s preferred framing centers on what officials describe as push-pull factors: the economic and political instability in other African nations that drives citizens to migrate toward South Africa and elsewhere on the continent.

Additional reference context is available at https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-29-sa-blocks-ghanas-attempt-to-put-xenophobic-violence-on-african-union-agenda/.

Ghana has been South Africa’s most vocal critic on this issue. It has already repatriated several hundred citizens and announced on July 25 the start of a second evacuation phase targeting approximately 1,000 additional Ghanaians. President John Dramani Mahama had posted on X that he had “secured a commitment from AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to place the ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa on the agenda of the next AU Summit,” a statement widely read as referring to the ordinary summit scheduled for February 2027 in Addis Ababa. Ghana’s Wednesday push for discussion at the mid-year meeting therefore caught observers off guard, particularly since only a handful of African leaders are expected to attend that gathering.

The precise timing and scope of any AU discussion on migration remain unresolved. South Africa’s counter-proposal appears to require convening a special summit dedicated exclusively to migration, a concept that has circulated among member states for years without materializing. Mahama had framed AU engagement as offering South Africa a platform to respond while creating space for collective problem-solving. The Executive Council’s decision has deferred that confrontation for now.

Meanwhile, Lamola used his presence in Addis Ababa to conduct diplomatic outreach among African counterparts, continuing work he had begun as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoy on migration. He visited Ghana’s Mahama the previous week and met this week with Nigeria’s deputy foreign minister, Sola Enikanolaiye, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Enikanolaiye conveyed documented concerns. At least 98 Nigerians have been killed since 2022 through mob attacks, hate-related violence, and extrajudicial killings in South Africa. He pressed Lamola to strengthen protections for foreign nationals, ensure accountability for perpetrators, and prevent future violence. Enikanolaiye provided a list of the 98 deceased Nigerians, which Lamola forwarded to the South African Police Service for investigation.

During these engagements, Lamola identified three areas of tension. He referenced the installation of an unrecognized traditional ruler titled an “Igbo King” in the Eastern Cape Province in March 2026, which he said sparked widespread public concern across South Africa. He also raised concerns about foreign nationals, including Nigerian citizens, being involved in organized crime, drug trafficking, and financial fraud, noting that more than 500 Nigerian nationals had been processed through South Africa’s criminal justice system as of July 7 for various offences. He further highlighted instances where law enforcement encountered violent resistance during investigations, and referenced hijacked residential and commercial properties in urban centers including Hillbrow in Johannesburg and Sunnyside in Pretoria, where unlawful enclaves have compromised public safety.

Lamola stated that South Africa condemns all xenophobic violence while maintaining that law enforcement remains exclusively the state’s prerogative. He said South Africa will not tolerate criminal activity regardless of nationality, but equally will not permit vigilante action or xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals. Arrests have occurred and investigations continue. The Nigerian delegation acknowledged the necessity of holding lawbreakers accountable while stressing constitutional due process, fair trial standards, and humane treatment for detainees.

Whether the AU’s broader migration summit ever convenes, or whether Ghana pursues the February 2027 ordinary summit as its next pressure point, will determine how much longer South Africa can keep this conversation at the continental level rather than in the spotlight of a dedicated session.