President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa delivered a direct message to immigrants on April 27, 2026. He spoke during the national Freedom Day address in Bloemfontein. The president addressed Nigerians and other foreign nationals residing in the country.
He urged them to respect South Africa’s laws, customs and traditions. His remarks came against a backdrop of renewed anti-foreigner tensions in parts of the nation.
Ramaphosa specifically targeted those living in South Africa legally. “To those who are here legally, respect us as South Africans,” he said. “Respect our laws, respect our conventions and our traditions, as you would want us to respect the laws and traditions of your own country,” the president added.
The president then stressed the government’s commitment to upholding its legal framework. He urged citizens to trust the law regarding illegal immigrants. “So we then therefore say, yes, let us allow our laws to take their course,” Ramaphosa stated. “We have already set in place the way in which we will be able to deal with those who are in our country illegally,” the president explained.
Furthermore, Ramaphosa reinforced South Africa’s stance on international relations. “We remain committed to multilateralism, to respect for international law and principled diplomacy,” he said.
The president also emphasised the importance of global legal systems. “International law was born from the devastation of global conflict. It is a shield for all countries in the world, regardless of their size or influence,” Ramaphosa added.
His comments followed reported attacks targeting foreign nationals. Protests and incidents of looting occurred in Durban, Cape Town, East London, and areas in KwaZulu-Natal. Nigerian authorities, however, sought to calm fears.
Alexander Ajayi, Nigeria’s acting ambassador to South Africa, dismissed viral videos of harassment. “Those people you are seeing don’t represent the entire South African community,” Ajayi said. “They are just people acting on their paymasters,” the ambassador added.
