WeeklySA_AdminINFLAMMATORY: : The South African Council of Churches has denounced the growing wave of violence and intimidation targeting foreign nationals, warning that economic hardship and frustration must never be used to justify xenophobia, lawlessness or attacks on vulnerable communities…
By ACI Africa
The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has strongly condemned the recent surge of hostility, intimidation and violence directed at foreign nationals, calling on South Africans to reject xenophobia and embrace compassion, justice and human dignity.
In a pastoral letter released on Tuesday, SACC President Archbishop Sithembele Sipuka said the Church could not remain silent while attacks against migrants continued to spread across several provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State and Western Cape.
“Across our land, a wave of hostility, intimidation and violence has risen against our brothers and sisters from other countries living among us,” Archbishop Sipuka said.
“What began as growing tension and organised protest has, in some instances, resulted in injury and the tragic loss of life, drawing concern from across the African continent.”
The stranger at our gate is not our enemy; he is our neighbour, and in
him we meet our Lord. — Archbishop Sithembele Sipuka
The Archbishop warned that violence against migrants had already displaced thousands of families and disrupted livelihoods, leaving many without access to food, shelter, healthcare and other basic necessities.
According to the SACC, an estimated 2 000 migrant families in KwaZulu-Natal alone have been affected since anti-foreigner actions intensified in April.
“Since the middle of April, organised hostility has spread from province to province,” Sipuka said. “Movements that style themselves as defenders of citizens have mobilised marches, raids, shop closures and so-called citizens’ arrests against those they brand as undocumented.”
He blamed inflammatory rhetoric, misinformation and fearmongering for fuelling tensions, while stressing that the humanitarian consequences were becoming increasingly severe.
Drawing on biblical teachings, the Archbishop reminded Christians that caring for foreigners and strangers is central to the Gospel message.
“As the Church of Jesus Christ in this country, drawn from many traditions but united in one Lord, we cannot keep silent,” he said.
“We are compelled by the Gospel to speak and to act.”
While condemning xenophobic violence, Sipuka acknowledged the genuine hardships faced by many South Africans, including unemployment, crime, poverty and poor service delivery.
“We must acknowledge the deep frustration, exclusion and sense of abandonment experienced by many communities who feel their concerns have gone unheard for too long,” he said.
However, he cautioned that legitimate grievances should never become an excuse for vigilantism or violence.
“To feel genuine pain is one thing; to lay that pain at the wrong door, and then to take the law into one’s own hands, is another,” he said.
The SACC rejected claims that foreign nationals are primarily responsible for South Africa’s unemployment crisis, arguing that corruption, weak governance, inadequate education systems and exploitative labour practices are among the deeper causes of economic hardship.
“To blame the stranger is to let these true culprits escape scrutiny, and to turn against the powerless an anger that ought to be directed at the powerful,” Sipuka said.
Addressing concerns about crime, illegal trade and drug trafficking, he stressed that individuals who break the law should be prosecuted regardless of nationality.
“Crime has no nationality,” he said. “Where anyone, foreigner or citizen, commits a crime, let him be dealt with according to the law, as a criminal and not as a foreigner.”
“The answer to crime is justice applied to the guilty, never violence visited upon the innocent because of where they were born.”
Sipuka also pointed to weak border management, corruption and inadequate law enforcement as factors contributing to tensions around migration, calling for greater regional cooperation among African states to address the root causes of migration.
The Archbishop welcomed recent commitments by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration to strengthen immigration management, enforce labour laws and combat corruption, but urged authorities to move swiftly from promises to implementation.
He further called on churches across the country to become agents of reconciliation by facilitating dialogue between local communities, migrants, business leaders and government officials.
“Such dialogue must hear the genuine grievances of communities; it must call wrongdoers of every nationality to account; and it must also confront businesses that deliberately employ foreign nationals to pay them less and to evade fair wages and labour obligations,” he said.
The SACC also encouraged engagement with church bodies across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), arguing that migration is a regional challenge requiring regional solidarity and cooperation.
Beyond dialogue, Sipuka urged congregations to provide practical support to those displaced by violence, including food, shelter, medical assistance and counselling.
“Let us not theorise while people suffer,” he said.
“If it is a cup of water that we can give, let us give it. If it is a blanket, let us give it. If it is food, or medication, or simply shelter and a kind presence, let us give that.”
He reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to working with government and civil society to address both the immediate humanitarian crisis and the underlying causes of social tensions.
“The scarcity in our land bred by corruption and by the failures of leadership and management is real, and the resulting suffering of our people is real,” Sipuka said.
“But hardship must never drive us to react from the basest of our instincts.”
Calling for peace, truth and unity, the Archbishop urged South Africans to resist misinformation and reject efforts to sow division.
“We are a resurrection people, and we are called, even in want, to respond in a manner that is humane and Christian,” he said.
“The stranger at our gate is not our enemy; he is our neighbour, and in him we meet our Lord.”
