Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has issued a stark warning that rising anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa threatens the continent’s future, calling instead for stronger cooperation and unity among African nations.
In an exclusive interview, Mbeki drew direct historical parallels between current tensions in South Africa and past events in West Africa, arguing that such fragmentation solves nothing.
“In 1969, Ghana did the same thing about Nigerians in Ghana and said, ‘We don’t want these undocumented nationals.’ And they attacked them. People ran away. Nigeria retaliated 10 years later,” Mbeki said, referring to the 1979 and 1981 expulsions that drove Ghanaians out of Nigeria.
He added: “He says what is happening in South Africa is not new on the continent and our experience on the continent says these things that we did in Ghana and these things we did in Nigeria which you are repeating here didn’t solve anything — they drive us against this unity which we need.”
Turning to regional security challenges in West Africa, Mbeki revealed he met with Premier Sonko at an AU summit in Addis in February. “I told him I said I’m coming because we really need to sit and discuss the future of Senegal and he agreed,” Mbeki said, noting he had been worried about tensions between the prime minister and the president.
Mbeki emphasized that other African nations continue to seek South Africa’s involvement due to its decades-long struggle for African unity and renaissance. “They understand that we are Africans. So when we say we want to come, they know that we’re going to come and say what’s wrong in Mali, what’s wrong — and they are not going to say you’re a foreigner, go home, because they’re fellow Africans. It is our common problem.”
On global issues, Mbeki addressed the situation in the Middle East, noting that Iran has consistently insisted on a firm decision not to possess nuclear weapons. “We engaged with President Bush the United States and his people on this matter,” he said. “I don’t think the Iranians need to be threatened by anybody. But we must make them stick to this thing… There was a fatwa against nuclear weapons. The matter can be resolved.”
Regarding the war in Ukraine, now in its third year, Mbeki said: “You can’t bring NATO to the doorstep of the Russian Federation and think they’re going to do nothing.” He blamed a lack of political will, saying: “There’s a political agenda which is driving some countries in a very wrong direction.” He added that when the US government tells Western Europeans they must coexist with Russia, “the Americans are correct, but the Europeans are not listening.”
On national issues, Mbeki addressed the impeachment process against the current South African president. He confirmed he had written to the leader of government business after parliament took what he called “a wrong decision” not to allow a panel led by Chief Justice to proceed to committee. “They used the ANC majority to do a wrong thing,” he said. “What the constitutional court has done is agreed with what I said two years ago, and I think the constitutional court is correct.”
On a lighter note, Mbeki offered a message for Bafana Bafana ahead of their tournament in the Americas. “I hope that they will show that again in this tournament… they will show this tournament that they are continuing to improve.” He noted following English Premier League football closely after spending significant time in England. “The quality of football globally you can see it is going shooting high all the time,” he said, adding that while South Africa may not win the cup, “we will show that we definitely are getting better.”