Analysts say Nigeria and Ghana lack moral standing to criticise South Africa over evictions

According to The Citizen, analysts say Nigeria and Ghana have little moral ground to criticise South Africa’s recent evictions of undocumented immigrants, arguing both West African states failed many of their own citizens and contributed to the migration crisis.

Experts point to governance and diaspora exclusion

According to The Citizen, analysts blamed economic mismanagement and intolerance of dissent in Nigeria and Ghana for driving nationals to leave. They also said these countries have historically excluded their diaspora from voting or participating in political life, unlike South Africa.

Voices from academia and policy

“At bilateral level, most of their nationals did not relocate to South Africa willingly, but as a result of forced migration,”

Dominic Maphaka was quoted in The Citizen making this point about the drivers of migration.

According to The Citizen, Maphaka also said:

“At the multilateral level, they have reduced their commitments to the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 to mere talk shops, as their weak economies have driven their nationals away.”

Constitutional rights and migration management

According to The Citizen, another commentator, Teffo, said undocumented immigrants were now using South Africa’s constitution to claim rights and that courts were applying the law as written. The Citizen quoted him:

“Undocumented immigrants are now using that constitution against the state, claiming rights legally. The courts are not wrong, they implement the laws as written.”

According to The Citizen, Teffo added a broader reflection on Pan-African ideals:

“We took Pan-Africanism to the extreme. We were romantic, euphoric, triumphalist and thought we would lead the world on human rights. That has come back to bite us.”

Responses to threats of ICC action

According to The Citizen, Mashego criticised Ghana’s threat to take Pretoria to the International Criminal Court over alleged xenophobia, saying:

“There is no basis for such a claim.”

Repatriations noted

According to The Citizen, more than 1 000 people accepted an offer of repatriation, the report noted.

What analysts recommend

According to The Citizen, analysts urged South Africa to hold firm in bilateral talks and at the AU and to address vigilantism while allowing peaceful protest, as part of resolving tensions over migration and evictions.