The 17 August meeting in Durban should turn shared history and economic interdependence into coordinated action against xenophobia.

South Africa’s recent anti-migrant protests, vigilantism and mass repatriations have put regional solidarity in the spotlight. Most of the African migrants targeted by groups like March and March come from South Africa’s immediate neighbourhood. That means tough conversations will likely dominate this month’s Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Durban, where the region’s leaders need to tackle rising anti-migrant sentiment head-on.

The summit was originally intended to focus on resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation. Now SADC states must discuss how to achieve that goal amid strained relations between neighbouring countries. South Africa’s position has been to reaffirm its support for a continental dialogue on migration.

A constructive solutions-oriented regional exchange will require acknowledging shared histories, addressing root economic pressures collectively, moving past diplomatic friction and focusing on jointly advancing development and integration.

Globally, xenophobia has affected societies for centuries – from the denigration of foreigners as barbarians in ancient Greece to the Roman Empire viewing conquered peoples as inferior and lacking civilisation. In 1983, Nigeria’s ‘Ghana must go!’ deportations followed Ghana’s mass expulsion of Nigerian, Nigerien, Burkinabe and Togolese citizens over a decade prior. More recent are the United States’ (US) mass removals and other global anti-migrant movements.

Southern Africa is no stranger to this phenomenon. Dating back to colonialism and apartheid, national and racial identity were the vehicles of exclusion that shaped migration management, spatial controls and racial hierarchies, contributing to modern anti-immigrant sentiment.

South Africa’s xenophobia story begins in 1994, with public statements that there were too many foreigners in the country and they should return home. Over time, this sentiment grew stronger and was repeated, especially in communities with no experience living alongside people from other African nations.

African citizens had greater difficulty getting entry visas – even those with work contracts – than citizens of Western Europe, the US, Australia, New Zealand and certain Asian countries. Different treatment was justified based on reciprocity in South Africa’s relations with these countries. Obtaining entry and re-entry visas was costly and disruptive for citizens of neighbouring countries like Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

In the mid-1990s, in South Africa’s black communities, anti-foreigner sentiments grew alongside the impression that Africans from other countries robbed locals of jobs and privileges. Some political parties used this to garner electoral support. Allegations escalated into violent anti-foreigner attacks in 2008, affecting over 100 000 people.

In 2015, then Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini declared that foreign nationals should leave, contributing to the incitement and legitimisation of xenophobic violence. Though he later retracted this, the damage was already done.

In 2026, the deterioration in basic service provision, education and health, rising crime, violence and unemployment have contributed to the rise of vigilante groups that centre migrants as the main contributors to South Africa’s societal ills. These groups, with political support, have become the main voice of propaganda, with South Africans mobilised to protest and force authorities to expel undocumented foreigners.

Guided by regional historical ties forged during anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggles, when borders were porous and mutual refuge was standard practice, and by the space for collaborative action, SADC can collectively resolve these tensions.

Migration is structurally tied to regional economic disparities; treating it as a localised security issue rather than a shared developmental reality fails to address root causes. A unified SADC approach to economic upliftment and regulated mobility will protect regional integration – one of Africa’s core aspirations intended to advance economic growth, prosperity and development.

Preventing xenophobia requires a combination of measures, including legal instruments, to regulate migration in the region and enhance cooperation and mutual benefit. One measure is to declare xenophobia illegal and a crime, and to pass legislation that provides for severe punishment for those who practise, encourage and promote it. This already applies to those who practise racism and other hate crimes.

Article 4(c) of the SADC Treaty commits member states to human rights, democracy and the rule of law – the legal basis for addressing discrimination, including xenophobia. Some SADC countries already criminalise ethnic hatred. Zambia criminalises offences related to incitement to violence, hate speech and public-peace disturbances or spreading false news that promotes social or ethnic hatred. Its laws hold immigration officers accountable for xenophobia through an immigration integrity committee.

South Africa’s 2019 National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, supplemented by the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act, includes criminalising xenophobic violence and associated hate speech.

The next step should be for SADC countries to develop a regional protocol against discrimination and xenophobia.

It is equally important that SADC states commit to advancing development. Many migrants seek better living conditions and opportunities elsewhere because these are lacking at home. This survival instinct endures despite borders and crackdowns. When migrants choose to move, they should do so voluntarily – not because they have no future at home.

SADC countries must introspect, assess local conditions and identify approaches to ensure stability and inclusive economic development. This is not solely a domestic exercise for governments. It requires collaboration between the public and private sectors to enhance employment and develop economies.

Trans-regional economic activities should be promoted, including trade, tourism and technical exchanges. That requires enhanced cooperation among state agencies, non-governmental organisations, civil society and the education sector.

Questions arising from South Africa’s current anti-migrant sentiments can be clarified only in an environment of constructive dialogue and regular consultations. These will need to go beyond the Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa, which is supported by the International Organisation for Migration.

Inclusive and frank dialogue among neighbouring countries laid the foundation for SADC’s emergence in 1980 and has always guided the region. It can again help to overcome hurdles to achieving resilient, sustainable and inclusive development.

Written by Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, Head of Special Projects, ISS & Agostinho Zacarias, President, Ka-Ndzualo Foundation and member of the ISS Advisory Council