By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says government has condemned the circulation of fake videos and images online claiming attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa.
Ntshavheni briefed media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, 6th May 2026.
There has been a raft of public advisories from some African governments to their citizens, warning them to exercise caution while in South Africa.
Ntshavheni said that, as these advisories are being issued against South Africa, the accompanying discussion should focus on illegal activities by foreign nationals in the country.
“Those who are involved in selling drugs to our children, drug pipelining in our communities and those who are involved in shooting people to enforce Sharia law. There’s no Sharia law in South Africa. You cannot undermine the laws of these countries and want to impose your own laws. Those who want to claim they’re kings in our own country, and you say South Africans must sit quietly. South Africans will not sit quietly. We cannot be undermined in our own country.”
“The fake videos and images are not only fake, but they are intended to undermine the good reputation of South Africa internationally and undermine South Africa’s pursuit of a better Africa agenda,” said Ntshavheni.
“South Africans are within their right to protest against the spiralling illegal immigration challenge, but violence linked to those protests in the past is not acceptable, and law enforcement must deal with the instigators of such violence decisively.”
Xenophobia has long been an issue in South Africa and has been accompanied by occasional outbursts of deadly attacks. But the current protests have been largely peaceful with no official reports of accompanying looting of foreign-owned shops or violence against undocumented migrants.
South Africa’s government has been stepping up diplomatic efforts to quell growing concern around the continent about rising anti-immigration sentiment in the country.
In its letter to the African Union (AU), Ghana said that what it called xenophobia in South Africa “presents a challenge to the shared principles of African solidarity, brotherhood, and continental unity”. It wants a fact-finding mission to be sent to the country.
Ntshavheni said that should the AU place the matter on the agenda, South Africa would not hesitate to explain the situation on the ground.
“Our position is that we have nothing to hide as the South African government. We will provide, if the AU decides to put the matter on the agenda, we will provide the report, including the facts that are related to the matter, that there are no xenophobic attacks in South Africa.”
The Minister reiterated that there is ongoing work to address the problem of illegal immigration, which includes strengthening border management through the work of the Border Management Agency (BMA), speeding up deportations, dealing with criminality within the émigré communities, and protecting jobs and opportunities for South Africans.
Cabinet has directed the Department of Employment and Labour to intensify inspections of workplaces to ensure compliance with employment laws across vulnerable sectors such as hospitality, farms, trucking and construction, amongst others.
“Cabinet further directed municipalities to ensure the enforcement of municipal by-laws, with priority on trading by-laws. South Africans must also play their part by refraining from sub-leasing their business licences.
“On a policy level, the Revised White Paper on Immigration addresses constraints with current immigration laws by introducing provisions of ‘first country of safety’ principle, moving refugee reception centres nearest to the border, and a clause to enable relevant departments to designate certain trades, professions, and businesses only for South Africans and refugees, “Ntshavheni said.