By Engr. Bola Babarinde
Every time an African attacks another African because of nationality, the dream of a united and prosperous continent suffers another painful setback.
The greatest threat to Africa is not the lack of natural resources. It is not the absence of talent or intelligence. It is not even foreign competition. Our greatest enemy is the growing tendency to see fellow Africans as strangers instead of brothers and sisters.
South Africa, proudly known as the Rainbow Nation, gave Africa and the world extraordinary leaders and cultural icons such as Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki, Miriam Makeba, Lucky Dube, and Yvonne Chaka Chaka. These remarkable Africans inspired generations with their courage, sacrifice, and unwavering belief in justice, equality, and human dignity. Their legacy reminds us that Africa is strongest when it stands together.
Having lived in South Africa for more than two decades, I have experienced a country filled with warmth, generosity, and kindness. The overwhelming majority of South Africans are peaceful, welcoming, hardworking, and compassionate people. They believe in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, the timeless belief that “I am because we are.” They value family, community, tradition, and respect for humanity.
For this reason, it is deeply heartbreaking whenever images of xenophobic attacks emerge from South Africa. Such incidents do not represent the true character of the nation, but they damage its reputation across the continent and beyond. Even though these attacks are carried out by a minority, they create fear, pain, and uncertainty for countless innocent Africans who have come to South Africa to work honestly, invest, study, or build a better future.
Truth, however, demands honesty from every side.
Some African migrants have unfortunately engaged in criminal activities, including drug trafficking, fraud, robbery, and other unlawful businesses. These individuals betray the hospitality extended to them and tarnish the image of millions of hardworking Africans who obey the law, contribute to the economy, create jobs, and enrich South African society.
No reasonable person should defend criminality.
Equally, no civilized society should condemn an entire nationality because of the crimes of a few individuals.
Justice is personal. Crime is individual. Punishment should never become collective.
Illegal immigration is another difficult subject that deserves careful discussion. Across the world, many migrants fail to regularize their immigration status. This challenge is not unique to South Africa. Every sovereign nation has the right to enforce its immigration laws fairly and humanely. Deportation carried out according to the law is very different from violence carried out by angry mobs.
As Africans, we must be mature enough to distinguish between law enforcement and lawlessness.
Despite these realities, I remain an unapologetic believer in a borderless Africa.
I dream of an Africa where every African can travel, work, invest, study, and live peacefully anywhere on the continent without fear or unnecessary restrictions. Imagine the possibilities of one Africa with greater economic integration, stronger regional trade, easier movement of people, richer cultural exchange, and deeper business collaboration. Such a continent would become one of the greatest economic powers in the world.
Some countries, including Rwanda, have courageously demonstrated openness toward fellow Africans. Unfortunately, this generosity has sometimes been abused by a small minority who ignore local laws and disrespect the hospitality they receive. Such behavior makes governments hesitant to expand free movement across the continent.
The actions of a few should never destroy the hopes of millions.
The roots of xenophobia run deeper than economics or politics. Colonial borders divided one people into dozens of nations. Artificial boundaries transformed neighbors into foreigners. Decades later, too many Africans still define themselves by colonial maps rather than by a shared destiny.
This is one of the greatest paradoxes of our time.
People who share the same history, ancestry, culture, and complexion too often see each other as rivals instead of partners.
Hatred among Africans is not strength.
It is a profound psychological weakness.
History repeatedly teaches us that retaliation never produces lasting peace.
Many still remember the painful era of “Ghana Must Go” and the retaliatory expulsions that followed between African nations. Those events solved nothing. They only deepened mistrust, weakened economies, separated families, and delayed Africa’s progress.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki consistently reminded Africans that the continent’s future depends on unity, cooperation, and an African Renaissance built on shared prosperity rather than endless division. His words remain as relevant today as when they were first spoken.
My appeal to Nigeria and the Nigerian government is straightforward.
Do not retaliate.
Respond with wisdom instead of anger.
Respond with diplomacy instead of revenge.
Respond with leadership instead of hostility.
When others abandon humanity, we must never abandon ours.
Violence cannot cure violence.
Hatred cannot eliminate hatred.
Only justice, empathy, and responsible leadership can break this destructive cycle.
Those who attack innocent Africans while pretending to defend South Africa do not represent the true South African spirit. They dishonor the legacy of Nelson Mandela and the countless heroes who fought so that every human being could live with dignity.
They should be arrested, prosecuted, and punished according to the law.
At the same time, every African government has a duty to protect all lawful residents regardless of nationality.
The rest of Africa also has a legitimate right to express disappointment. Peaceful diplomatic pressure, responsible public criticism, and even symbolic support against South Africa in sporting competitions may communicate our collective disapproval. Such responses send a powerful message without encouraging violence or hatred.
But our response must stop there.
Africa cannot afford another cycle of revenge.
We have already lost too much time.
The twenty first century belongs to continents that cooperate, innovate, trade, and build together. Africa cannot achieve its enormous potential while Africans continue fighting fellow Africans.
Our children deserve an Africa where opportunity is greater than prejudice.
Our entrepreneurs deserve an Africa where borders encourage trade instead of suspicion.
Our students deserve an Africa where knowledge travels as freely as dreams.
Our future deserves an Africa where unity is stronger than division.
The choice before us is simple.
We can continue to inherit the divisions created by colonial history, or we can build a new continental identity founded on mutual respect, shared prosperity, and common purpose.
The generation of Nelson Mandela believed that impossible dreams could become reality.
Our generation must prove them right.
One Love Africa.
One Love Nigeria.
One Love South Africa.
Because the destiny of one African nation will always remain connected to the destiny of another.
About the Author
Engr. Bola Babarinde is a Nigerian engineer who lived in South Africa for over twenty years. He is a passionate advocate of African unity, economic integration, peaceful coexistence, and sustainable development through business collaboration, cultural exchange, and mutual respect. He believes that Africa’s greatest resource is not beneath its soil but within its people.