Unisa condemns xenophobic violence and calls for African solidarity

UNISA, the University of South Africa, has strongly condemned xenophobic violence and the targeting of African migrants and foreign nationals, emphasizing the importance of African solidarity and upholding the values of Ubuntu/Botho, the South African Constitution, and international human rights instruments. The university's Senate highlighted that xenophobia and Afrophobia are not merely social issues but also hinder the development of an interconnected African knowledge system, as African scholars, students, researchers, and workers are often treated as outsiders.

UNISA aims to contribute to addressing these issues through research that challenges the arguments used to justify xenophobia and warns against the scapegoating of migrants for South Africa's socioeconomic challenges. The university maintains that opposing xenophobic violence does not mean rejecting immigration controls or legitimate debates on migration, employment, border management, crime, and national security, but it stresses that immigration status should not be used to deny people dignity or due process, as everyone within South Africa's borders must be treated according to international law and national law as enshrined in the Constitution.

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