Xenophobia: Mbeki Blames South Africa’s Economic Decline on Leadership Failures, Not Migrants

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has blamed South Africa’s economic decline on leadership failures rather than undocumented African migrants, warning against what he described as the growing scapegoating of foreign nationals.

Mbeki made the remarks while speaking at the AUDA-NEPAD @25 High Level Business Breakfast held in Cape Town on Thursday, where he addressed rising anti-immigrant sentiments and the country’s worsening unemployment crisis.

According to Mbeki, South Africa’s economic struggles cannot be linked to undocumented Africans, arguing instead that the country’s decline began after years of economic growth between 1994 and 2008.

“We know the history in detail of how South Africa, from 1994 to 2008, 2009, reached a growth rate of six per cent. From 2009, it goes in the opposite direction. It wasn’t caused by undocumented immigrants,” Mbeki said.

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He added that those responsible for the country’s economic downturn were “laughing in the corner” while citizens directed their anger at migrants instead of addressing the real causes of unemployment and stagnation.

“The people who caused the decline are laughing in the corner because you are pointing not at them but someone else,” he stated.

Mbeki also reflected on South Africa’s relationship with the rest of the continent, saying many Africans still view the country as a shared symbol of liberation due to the support African nations gave during the anti-apartheid struggle.

“The struggle was not just for South Africans, it was their struggle,” he said, predicting that Africans would continue migrating to South Africa regardless of political hostility or tightening immigration measures.

“One prediction I will make is Africans will continue to come to South Africa. It doesn’t matter what you do. You can’t change the mind of these Africans,” Mbeki said.

The former president warned that the spirit of African integration that defined the continent 25 years ago was gradually fading and urged South Africans to confront the issue constructively rather than fueling division.

His comments came as Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema also condemned attacks and hostility toward foreign nationals in South Africa.

In an interview with Sky News shared on X on Thursday, Malema dismissed claims that xenophobia was driving tensions, instead describing the violence and intimidation as “gangsterism sponsored by the government.”

“There’s no xenophobia in South Africa. It’s just a group of charlatans, extortionists, disruptors and corrupt individuals who want to extort foreign nationals,” Malema said.

He argued that South Africans themselves were responsible for most violent crimes in the country, citing rape, assault, and prison statistics to challenge narratives blaming migrants for criminality.

“The majority of the prisoners are not Zimbabweans, Ghanaians, Nigerians or people from the DRC, they are South African men,” he stated.

Malema further accused the government of using anti-immigrant sentiment to distract citizens from deeper economic and governance problems facing the country.

Meanwhile, Malema is currently facing legal troubles after a court sentenced him to five years imprisonment for unlawful possession of a firearm and an additional two years for unlawful possession of ammunition.