Mahama's 2015 caution to South Africans resurfaces amid Xenophobia

Following the recent xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians and other Africans residing in South Africa by South Africans, a video has emerged of President John Dramani Mahama condemning the act.

In the said video, which was from 2015, the President said that, “It’s most regrettable and most unfortunate. I think that the young people of South Africa do not know what happened before they gained their freedom.”

At that time, over 10 people had been confirmed dead in xenophobic attacks. South Africans accused black foreigners of taking over their jobs, rendering them jobless.

President Mahama, speaking to the media in Nigeria, said that the behaviour of South Africa betrays other African countries that led the fight against apartheid, when the same black South Africans were being oppressed.

“The whole of this continent stood behind South Africa, the whole of Africa stood behind South Africa to fight apartheid. Indeed, for several of the countries where their citizens were brutalised in South Africa, these are countries that were called frontline states that harboured the freedom fighters of South Africa, that gave them safe haven, gave them passports to be able to avoid the clutches of the apartheid regime.

“So it is regrettable that the same people who fought against apartheid are being attacked in this way,” Mahama said.

President Mahama did not end there but also called on the then President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, to sit up and ensure that attacks on black foreigners are brought to an end.

“I think that the government must sit up and take strong action. Those who have been involved in this atrocity must be brought to book and must be punished so that it serves as a deterrent so it does not happen in future.

“The unfortunate thing is that this is not the first time; it keeps flaring up. And so while we are condemning this incident, we must work with the South African government to ensure that this does not happen again.

“We are trying to create an integrated continent where our people can move freely amongst our countries. This does not set a good example for integration, especially South Africa that has investments all over our countries.”

Watch viral video of South Africans sacking non-citizens from a government hospital

Watch a video of his remarks below:

“The whole of Africa stood behind South Africa in the fight against Apartheid.”

—Throwback to 2015, when President John Dramani Mahama condemned xenophobic attacks against African nationals living in South Africa.

More than a decade later, these attacks persist, with a new wave… pic.twitter.com/SYANMnRVLh

— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) April 22, 2026