A Nigerian trader has been filmed being ordered to shut his shop and leave South Africa as anti-foreigner hostility spreads in several provinces. Viral videos showing clashes between locals and African migrants have triggered anger and led to formal diplomatic protests from Ghana.
In one shared video, officials linked to a local civic group were seen telling a Nigerian trader to close his shop and leave the country. Another video shows protesters marching through streets, forcing foreign-owned businesses to shut down, while migrants ran to safety as tensions rose.
A separate viral clip shows activist Victoria Africa, also known as Queen Vee, with a group of locals surrounding a Ghanaian man and demanding to see his travel documents.
The man looked distressed. He said he was not carrying his passport because of rain but had a travel document showing he entered South Africa in April 2026. His explanation was rejected, and the group accused him of planning to settle permanently instead of returning to Ghana.
The incidents have triggered a diplomatic crisis between South Africa and Ghana. Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa summoned South Africa’s Acting High Commissioner Thando Dalamba on April 23 after a case where a Ghanaian lawyer was confronted, asked to prove legal status and ordered to leave South Africa, saying such incidents have led to loss of life and property and urging action to stop escalation.
South African authorities said they would crack down on xenophobic attacks promising that those involved in incitement violence or looting would be identified and arrested. Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said xenophobia and intimidation would not be tolerated and police had been ordered to act firmly.
The latest tensions follow a pattern. In early April, at least 26 Nigerians were injured, and property worth millions of rands was destroyed after anger targeted Nigerian businesses following the installation of a Nigerian Igbo community leader as king in KuGompo, formerly East London.
South Africa’s unemployment is above 32 percent, with youth unemployment over 60 percent, fueling resentment against foreign nationals.
