Mbeki Fires Back: “Blaming Migrants Will Not Solve South Africa’s Crisis”
SOUTH AFRICA- Former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki has condemned Operation Dudula’s targeting of foreign nationals, saying it deeply pains him to see fellow Africans being blamed for South Africa’s internal challenges.
Speaking at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation’s 15th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Mbeki urged citizens to confront the country’s problems without scapegoating migrants.
“When I see things like Operation Dudula, it hurts. We cannot position ourselves as though we are enemies of other Africans,” he said.
Operation Dudula, now a registered political party, has drawn criticism for deploying its members to public clinics, hospitals, and schools in Gauteng to verify the legal status of foreign nationals.
The group recently warned school principals not to prioritize undocumented learners for the 2026 academic year.
A similar campaign has emerged in KwaZulu-Natal under the March and March Movement.
While some South Africans support these actions, others have condemned them as xenophobic and inhumane.
Mbeki made it clear that the country’s challenges are not caused by migrants.
“It is not right. There are problems — problems we have got to solve in this country and we cannot say those problems are caused by people who have migrated to South Africa.
“We have caused problems … But I am saying that is where we come from,” he said.
According to IOL, Mbeki’s remarks come amid growing concern over the politicization of immigration and the treatment of foreign nationals in public institutions.
The former president also reflected on the broader crisis facing the African continent, noting that the Thabo Mbeki Foundation regularly receives visitors seeking solutions to regional instability.
“There is a lot to worry about. The stream of people who come to the foundation every day to discuss problems at home, on the continent, and beyond — asking what we can do,” he said.
He cited a recent peace and security dialogue hosted by the foundation, where Congolese attendees urged him to help facilitate national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“They said, ‘Now, President Mbeki, do something about that.’ They were not requesting, they were insisting.
“We have since acted as they suggested,” he explained.
Mbeki also expressed alarm over the ongoing violence in Sudan.
“Look at Sudan, you see terrible things happening both north and south, with no solution in sight.
“People come to the foundation and say, ‘Do something.’ I think it is our responsibility, we cannot run away from that,” he said.
He concluded by emphasizing that South Africa’s challenges are part of a wider continental struggle.
“The continent has got these huge problems. South Africa has got these huge problems. They need answers,” Mbeki said.
He praised the foundation’s role in fostering dialogue and offering hope, adding:
“One of the things that has been very moving and encouraging about the foundation, relative to the rest of the continent, is what people have said about it.”
