South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has sternly warned his citizens against attacking foreigners in the country.

Mr Ramaphosa gave the warning while delivering his keynote address at the 2026 Freedom Day national commemoration in Bloemfontein on Monday.

“We should never allow the legitimate concerns of our communities about illegal migration to breed prejudice towards our fellow Africans. We must not allow these concerns to give rise to xenophobia directed towards people from other African countries or any other parts of the world,” he stated.

While noting his government was committed to clamping down on illegal migration corruption within the immigration system, Mr Ramaphosa warned against mob justice, adding no citizen has the authority to substitute themselves for the law.

“We will not allow people to take the law into their own hands. Instead, we must insist that the law be upheld and enforced. We are a people who live the value of ubuntu.

“We should never allow the legitimate concerns of our communities about illegal migration to breed prejudice towards our fellow Africans,” he said.

The president further reminded South Africans of the debt the country owed to the rest of the continent, noting xenophobic attacks on foreigners attacks should not be be mistaken as genuine economic grievances.

He stated, “As a nation that defeated colonialism and apartheid through international solidarity, we carry a responsibility to advance constitutional values beyond our borders.”

Mr Ramaphosa’s warning came amid escalating anti-foreigner violence across several South African provinces, including attacks on Nigerian and Ghanaian traders.

Intelligence report also warned of planned protests in Gauteng Province this week, with demonstrators intending to pressurise the government over the presence of foreign nationals in the country.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Consulate in Johannesburg issued a formal condemnation and demanded justice for the two Nigerians killed. Ghana also summoned South Africa’s Acting High Commissioner, Benjamin Kofi Quashie, over the harassment of its citizens in the country.