In what many are calling random retaliation for recent xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa, South Africans abroad are increasingly being confronted, harassed, and told to “go back to your country.”

In a dramatic scene captured on video and widely shared on social media, two South African women were confronted and ordered to leave a beach bar in Mozambique, with the owner telling them to “go to the beach in your country.”

The confrontation has gone viral, with many viewers interpreting it as retaliation for recent attacks on foreigners — particularly Mozambicans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, and Malawians — in South Africa.

In the footage, the bar owner questions why the women chose to holiday in Mozambique instead of staying in South Africa, escalating into a heated exchange.

This is the latest visible sign of growing resentment across the continent.

Covert Responses by African Countries

Beyond public confrontations, several African nations have responded more strategically to the xenophobia crisis:

• Repatriation Efforts: Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Malawi have quietly organised large-scale evacuations of their citizens. Ghana has already airlifted hundreds, while Nigeria has run multiple flights. Mozambique has bused out hundreds and reported several of its nationals killed in the violence.
• Diplomatic Pressure: Ghana formally petitioned the African Union for sanctions against South Africa. Several countries have summoned South African diplomats or postponed high-level visits. Nigeria has threatened broader retaliatory measures.
• Economic and Border Measures: There are reports of increased scrutiny at borders, informal boycotts of South African goods in some markets, and private sector pullbacks. Some countries are reviewing trade agreements and investment deals with South Africa.
• Public and Civil Society Backlash: Social media campaigns, protests, and calls for consumer boycotts of South African brands have gained traction across the region.

Ghana recently rejected a request for a state visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, citing a surge in xenophobic violence that has forced the repatriation of nearly 1,000 Ghanaians and left at least one citizen dead.

The South African government has condemned the violence and promised investigations, but critics say enforcement remains weak. Regional observers warn that without stronger action, xenophobia could cause long-term damage to South Africa’s diplomatic and economic standing in Africa.

This latest beach incident demonstrates how grassroots anger is manifesting beyond official channels, turning everyday interactions into flashpoints in the wider continental crisis.

Thousands of immigrants have descended on makeshift repatriation centers in KwaZulu-Natal, desperate to flee South Africa after losing their homes, jobs, and facing violent threats amid a wave of anti-immigrant attacks.

The Old Drive-in site in Pietermaritzburg, transformed into a temporary repatriation facility, has been overwhelmed by the sheer number of people seeking to return to their countries of origin. With the center at full capacity, new arrivals have been forced to sleep outside – many for two consecutive nights – without access to water, toilets, or food.

On Tuesday morning, June 23, 2026, scores of people were sitting outside the gates as more were dropped off by minibus taxis. By 6pm, women and children were finally allowed into the facility, escorted by police, while the crowd outside continued to swell throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

‘I spent the night outside with no place to relieve myself’

Rose Jesinao, a Malawian national, said she travelled from the Eastern Cape – where she worked as a domestic worker for R2,500 a month – after hearing that Malawians were being repatriated.

“I spent the night outside with no place to relieve myself,” Jesinao told reporters at the facility.

Musa Saide said he arrived in South Africa without documents and was working at a hardware store in Harding, earning R600 a week. He has two children whom he is leaving behind with their South African mother because they lack travel documents.

Violent mob attacks trigger mass exodus

The rush to repatriation centers follows violent mob attacks in the Jika Joe informal settlement in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, sparked by a protest organized by the anti-immigration group March and March. One person was reportedly killed during the violence.

March and March’s leaders have previously denounced violent acts, but founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma did not respond to requests for comment.

Malawian migrants living in Jika Joe sought refuge in an empty, disused building owned by the Department of Public Works. By Monday, more than 1,600 people were packed into the premises, according to Stephen van Neel, the national immigration enforcement officer for the Department of Home Affairs.

Buses depart as tensions flare

The humanitarian aid organization Gift of the Givers, with sponsorship from local businesses, organized buses to transport people to Malawi. Two 65-seater buses left for Malawi on Monday, with another 12 departing on Tuesday. The organization also provided relief packs to those waiting.

Tensions flared as people desperate to board the buses tried to jump the queue, with metro officers using riot shields to push the crowd back.

Van Neel could not confirm how many people remained in the camp, stating that a new count had to be conducted.

Activists call for urgent intervention

In an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Siyafana Sonke Action Campaign – a coalition of more than 160 civil society organisations – called for an urgent meeting to address what they described as “the escalating crisis of pogroms, forced removals, and the displacement of migrants.”

The coalition is demanding the “immediate cessation of violence,” the “provision of humanitarian aid,” and the arrest of leaders of anti-immigration movements.

Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said on Tuesday that preparations ahead of March and March’s 30 June deadline will cost the fiscus R600-million.

A humanitarian crisis unfolds

The scenes at Pietermaritzburg’s repatriation centres paint a grim picture of a humanitarian crisis unfolding in real time.

Thousands of vulnerable foreign nationals – many of whom had built lives in South Africa – are now fleeing in desperation, leaving behind jobs, homes, and even family members, as xenophobic violence and economic pressures converge.

Two private pilots who were held captive in Guinea for more than five months after what they described as a routine fuel stop have been released following a $45,000 fine paid to the Guinean government.

Brad Schlenker, a 63-year-old pilot from Chicago, and his co-pilot Fabio Nicolas Espinal Nunez, 33, of New Jersey, landed at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport in Conakry on December 29, 2025, to refuel while flying a Brazilian family from Suriname to Dubai. Instead of receiving fuel, they were met by armed military personnel and taken into custody.

‘Absolute Farce’

Schlenker, who has 36 years of flying experience, maintained throughout the ordeal that the pilots had all necessary permissions for the technical stop.

“We received our clearance, we took off, we showed up over here, talked to tower, talked to ATC. Bottom line is, they cleared us to land,” Schlenker told CBS News during his detention.

Guinean authorities charged the pilots with violating the country’s airspace and making an unauthorized landing, allegations Schlenker described as “an absolute farce.”

“They searched the aircraft five times and they didn’t find anything,” he said. “The legal system here, you can’t even fathom.”

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Diplomatic Efforts

The pilots’ detention sparked a multi-country diplomatic effort involving the United States, the Dominican Republic—Nunez’s home country—and Brazil, whose citizens were on board the aircraft.

The U.S. Department of State confirmed it was “actively providing consular assistance” and remained engaged on the case . According to the family, the U.S. government’s direct involvement and oversight were decisive in ensuring the crew’s well-being and security throughout the legal process.

Initially released on bond on March 13, the pilots were placed under house arrest at a hotel in Conakry. However, prosecutors reportedly refused to sign off on their release due to pressure from the military.

Release and Homecoming

After 157 days of detention—five months and seven days—the pilots were finally released on June 1, 2026, following a plea deal.

Schlenker said the businessman they were working for paid a $20,000 bond for each pilot, totaling $45,000, to secure their freedom.

“There seems to be something between the lines we don’t know about. It’s very unusual,” Nunez’s fiancée Lauren Stevenson told the New York Post during the ordeal.

Upon his return to the United States, Schlenker embraced his 90-year-old father in an emotional reunion at O’Hare International Airport.

“It was quite emotional,” Schlenker said. “Dad kept asking my brother, ‘What’s going on? When is Brad coming home?”