Anti-illegal immigrant protests across several provinces in South Africa have escalated to the point of requiring police intervention.
President Cyril Ramaphosa held a tête-à-tête with Kenyan President William Samoei ahead of official talks during the State Visit to South Africa at the Union Buildings in Tshwane. Picture: The Presidency.
South Africa and Kenya are deepening ties on migration and trade, with President Cyril Ramaphosa insisting “South Africans are not xenophobic” as he called for peaceful coexistence and greater economic cooperation across the continent.
Ramaphosa hosted his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, at the Union Buildings for a state visit on Thursday.
Migrants
In recent weeks, anti-illegal immigrant protests across several provinces in South Africa have escalated to the point of requiring police intervention, after demonstrators began openly threatening the safety of foreign nationals and their property.
One of the organisations at the forefront, March and March, has set a hard deadline of 30 June for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.
SA not xenophobic
During his meeting with Ruto, Ramaphosa said South Africa is working to address the problems that are causing tensions between locals and migrants.
“South Africans are not xenophobic. South Africans are Africans; they want to live with other Africans peacefully, and our people are calling on us as leaders to resolve the many challenges that are brought to bear by the challenge of migration, and I did say that in South Africa, we are addressing this matter.”
SA and Kenya
Ramaphosa hailed Kenya as “one of South Africa’s most important strategic partners in East Africa,” stressing that the two nations are bound by “shared history, common aspirations for African development and mutual commitment to peace, democracy, regional integration and multilateralism.”
He welcomed the signing of new Memoranda of Understanding to “expand our cooperation” and praised Kenya’s role as a “gateway to East Africa and a leading voice on peace, security and development.”
Trading partner
Ramaphosa noted that “Kenya remains South Africa’s largest trading partner in East Africa,” while Ruto agreed that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement must serve as “a catalyst for inclusive growth, industrialisation and job creation.”
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the African Union (AU), with Ramaphosa declaring the visit had “laid a firm foundation for deeper collaboration in trade, investment, industrialisation, infrastructure development, skills development and regional integration.”
