Chairman of MTN Group, Mcebisi Jonas, has delivered a strong criticism of South Africa’s growing anti-foreigner sentiment, arguing that xenophobic rhetoric masks deeper failures of
The report indicates that chairman of MTN Group, Mcebisi Jonas, has delivered a strong criticism of South Africa’s growing anti-foreigner sentiment, arguing that xenophobic rhetoric masks deeper failures of governance and diverts attention from the country’s unresolved economic and social challenges.
It further notes that speaking during the funeral service of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant Thokozani Damasane, Jonas stated foreign nationals had become convenient scapegoats for problems rooted in state failure, warning that such narratives threaten South Africa’s future and its relationship with the rest of the African continent.
Okay News reports that the speech has attracted widespread attention across South African civil society, with many describing it as one of the clearest interventions by a leading business executive on recurring xenophobic tensions that have periodically strained diplomatic and commercial ties across Africa.
Reflecting on Damasane’s life, Jonas challenged the notion that national identity should define belonging.
“I was thinking, what is home to Damasane?” he told mourners.
“Because I understand, and I understood very early in life, that home is where humanity is. Home is about humanness. It is about the good of humanity and striving for the good of humanity.”
Damasane, who was born and educated in Zimbabwe before relocating to South Africa after apartheid, dedicated much of his career to public service and civic engagement in his adopted country.
Jonas praised his commitment to South Africa despite arriving as an outsider.
“He immersed himself deeply into the struggles, into the pains of South Africans, and he became one of us,” Jonas said.
“In Damasane’s strength, our strength as South Africa and South Africans is reflected. And in his weaknesses, our own weaknesses are reflected.”
Turning to the country’s worsening anti-immigrant rhetoric, Jonas rejected claims that expelling foreign nationals would resolve South Africa’s socioeconomic problems.
“Foreigners can leave tomorrow, inequality will be with us,” he said.
“Foreigners will leave tomorrow, unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow, our police will remain corrupt. Foreigners will leave tomorrow, our politicians will still be concerned with one thing: being elected and re-elected.”
According to Jonas, the real crisis lies in weak institutions rather than migration.
