Venâncio Mondlane, leader of the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique, has attributed the escalating anti-immigration and xenophobic tensions in South Africa to the failure of African leaders to develop the continent.

Mr Mondlane, who stated this in an interview aired on eNCA news, a media platform headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, decried misgovernance and poor economic conditions across African countries.

“The problem here is not the immigrants; that is simply scapegoating. The problem is broken countries,” the politician stated.

Mr Mondlane’s statement came against the backdrop of the June 30 deadline set by several South African anti-immigration groups for undocumented Black immigrants to leave the country or face dire consequences. 

While countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique had evacuated some of their citizens willing to leave South Africa amid the escalating tensions, Malawians are still struggling to leave the country.

Mr Mondlane faulted the anger directed at South Africa as misguided, noting the country is under pressure.

“South Africa is under pressure, and the funnel is almost broken,” he added.

The politician insisted that the focus should instead be on overhauling governance and economic conditions in African countries, blaming immigration issues on failing states.

“We must fix our broken countries,” he said, adding that African states must also pursue economic integration and agree on conditions for regional cooperation.

Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a statement on Monday, allayed fears that the anti-immigration protests could spiral out of control.

Mr Ramaphosa appealed to South African protesters to avoid threatening or intimidating Black foreign nationals in the country.