By Mapaballo Borotho
- Thabo Mbeki says undocumented foreign nationals should not be blamed for South Africa’s unemployment and crime crisis, arguing that poor leadership is responsible for the country’s socio-economic decline.
- Speaking at the Africa Day Lecture, Mbeki criticised South Africans for “pointing fingers at the wrong people” while ignoring governance failures.
- He also accused former President Jacob Zuma and current President Cyril Ramaphosa of contributing to rising unemployment and crime levels.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki says South Africans are directing their anger at the wrong people for the social ills currently affecting the country, including unemployment, poverty, and poor access to public healthcare.
This comes as some South Africans continue to call for undocumented foreign nationals to return to their home countries, claiming they contribute to the unrest that has taken place in the country over the past few weeks.
Organisations, movements, and ordinary citizens have taken to the streets demanding that foreign nationals leave South Africa as unemployment and crime rates continue to rise, with many attributing these challenges to illegal immigration.
Mbeki said the approach taken by many South Africans is misguided and that the country’s leadership should instead be held accountable for the crisis facing the nation.
He was speaking at the Africa Day Lecture in Cape Town on Thursday, 21 May 2026, where he warned that South Africans are “pointing fingers at the wrong people” while ignoring the real causes of the country’s economic decline.
During his address, Mbeki emphasised the historical relationship between South Africa and the rest of the African continent, particularly during the apartheid era.
He referred to the African National Congress’s relationship with Tanzania and noted that Tanzania did not turn against the ANC after one of its drivers killed former Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Sokoine.
“Now we have many problems in South Africa, huge levels of unemployment and high levels of crime, but the finger is being pointed at the wrong people,” said Mbeki.
He argued that South Africa’s socio-economic problems are not caused by undocumented foreign nationals.
He referenced the country’s economic growth between 1994 and 2008, during the administrations of Nelson Mandela and himself.
“The people who caused that decline are laughing in the corner because we are not blaming them, we are blaming someone else,” he said.
“We need to remember that during the course of the struggle, the African continent came to own South Africa. It was not only our struggle but their struggle as well. So my prediction is that Africans will continue to come to South Africa,” he added.
Mbeki said South Africans are currently “fighting and chasing ghosts” instead of confronting the real causes of unemployment and crime.
He stressed that Africans stood together during the liberation struggle and that this was not the time to turn against one another.
“Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa caused high levels of crime and unemployment, not illegal immigrants. I was the head of state here, there were undocumented immigrants, and the economy was growing, crime levels were down,” he said.
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