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| Photo showing solidarity and scorn |
A troubling pattern of hostility towards fellow Africans in South Africa has once again sparked debate across the continent, raising a deeper and uncomfortable question: has the country forgotten the solidarity that helped end apartheid?
Recent incidents circulating on social media, including videos showing Nigerians and other African nationals being harassed or publicly humiliated have reignited concerns about xenophobia in Africa’s most industrialised nation. While such occurrences are not new, their persistence continues to challenge the image of South Africa as a symbol of African unity and liberation.
Yet history tells a different story, one rooted in sacrifice, shared struggle, and continental solidarity.
A Freedom Won Together
The fall of apartheid was not achieved by South Africa alone. It was, by all accounts, a collective African effort.
According to historical accounts, “the victory over apartheid was a collective effort” in which “help from other African countries was decisive.”
Across the continent, nations such as Angola, Zambia, and others provided military bases, training grounds, and logistical support to South African liberation movements.
At great cost, these countries absorbed economic pressure, political instability, and even direct military retaliation from the apartheid regime. During that era, South Africa conducted cross-border raids into neighbouring states targeting liberation fighters, turning those countries into frontline victims of the struggle.
Despite this, African nations stood firm, offering refuge to exiled activists, supporting resistance movements, and amplifying global calls for sanctions against apartheid.
The continent, in effect, fought alongside South Africa, not for gain, but for justice.
From Solidarity to Suspicion
Fast forward to today, and that shared history appears increasingly distant.
Videos and eyewitness accounts of Africans, particularly Nigerians being subjected to harassment, intimidation, or outright violence in South Africa have drawn widespread condemnation. Many observers argue that such actions represent more than isolated incidents; they reflect a growing social tension that contradicts the ideals of Pan-African unity.
For many Nigerians, the situation carries an added emotional weight. Nigeria was among the countries that played a significant role in the anti-apartheid struggle financially, diplomatically, and morally. From funding liberation movements to imposing sanctions, Nigeria positioned itself as a key pillar in the fight against racial oppression.
That legacy makes current developments harder to ignore.
The Paradox of Memory
There is a striking irony in the present reality. A country that once depended on the generosity of others is now perceived, in some quarters, as unwelcoming to those same people.
Analysts argue that this contradiction stems partly from economic frustration and internal inequality. Post-apartheid South Africa has struggled with unemployment, inequality, and social unrest, pressures that sometimes manifest as resentment towards foreign nationals.
However, critics insist that economic hardship cannot justify hostility.
One recurring sentiment among commentators is that Africa’s history should serve as a moral compass. The struggle against apartheid was built on the principle that injustice anywhere is a threat everywhere. That principle, they argue, should not be forgotten in times of domestic difficulty.
A Continental Reckoning
The current tensions present a broader challenge for Africa: how to reconcile national pressures with continental identity.
South Africa remains a powerful symbol of resistance and triumph over injustice. But symbols, as history shows, must be protected by actions that reflect their meaning.
The memory of African solidarity is not merely historical, it is foundational. It is what transformed a national struggle into a global cause.
To disregard that legacy risks eroding the very values that made South Africa’s freedom possible.
The Lesson Unlearned?
The story of apartheid is, at its core, a story of unity of nations standing together against a common injustice.
Today’s incidents suggest that lesson may be fading.
Gratitude, unlike history, is not automatic. It must be remembered, taught, and practised.
As debates continue, one question lingers across the continent: Can a nation built on solidarity afford to forget it?
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