South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has admitted that the country’s ongoing anti-migrant crisis is triggering real economic consequences for its citizens beyond its borders.
Speaking during a public broadcast, Kubayi revealed that some South African artists are currently losing performance bookings across the continent as a direct result of the backlash the country has been receiving around the world over the crisis.
She said the government is, however, working to contain the damage to South Africa’s image and business interests abroad.
She acknowledged that the international backlash over the country’s handling of migration issues is now visible and cannot be denied.
Kubayi said the widespread cancellations directed at South Africans are leading to a direct income loss for South African performers who rely heavily on bookings across the continent.
“Majority of South African artists perform on the continent and many of them are seeing their gigs being cancelled. That is another impact of the work because they benefit quite a lot,” she said.
“But one artist did reach out to me to say all her gigs were cancelled on the continent. This is an income lost by a South African,” she added.
The minister explained that the government is working to engage the arts and culture sector to fully understand the scale of the crisis. However, she also pushed back on the broader perception people have about what is driving the cancellations.
“The brand does get affected and that is why part of what we are doing is to explain that South Africans are not xenophobic, and we are also saying to South Africans, let’s be responsible,” she said.
On the underlying immigration concerns, Kubayi insisted that legitimate grievances should be addressed through enforcement of the law rather than attacks on foreign nationals.
“Let’s deal with the issue of illegal immigrants. That’s why all the others are saying to us, South Africa, we understand what you are dealing with, on the basis that these are illegal people, therefore enforce the law,” she said.
“Those that you have within the borders legally, please protect them like you would protect South Africans,” she added.
Kubayi warned that vigilantism and hostility toward foreign nationals risk causing damage that extends beyond South Africa’s international reputation into its own social fabric.
She said attacks on foreign nationals often extend to South African citizens who are mistaken for foreigners based on language or appearance, and that unchecked hostility could deepen divisions along the country’s existing lines of cultural and tribal diversity.
“If we don’t deal with this both internally, it can also hurt us internally and externally,” she said, framing the issue as one that threatens both South Africa’s social cohesion and its standing abroad.
The minister’s remarks come amid a renewed wave of xenophobic attacks against African migrants, including Nigerians, in South Africa that has continued unabated since April 2026. The situation has strained relations between South Africa and several African countries.
Nigeria has begun the repatriation of its citizens from South Africa, with the first group of 262 returnees leaving Johannesburg for Lagos amid renewed xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in the country.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) confirmed the development on June 11, in a statement released through its official X account.
The move comes as Nigerian authorities continue efforts to ensure the safety and return of citizens affected by rising tensions and attacks targeting foreigners in parts of South Africa.
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