“You’re Chasing Ghosts, Not the Devil” — Mbeki Slams Blame Game Over Foreigners

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has strongly defended African migrants, warning that rising hostility toward foreign nationals is based on a misleading narrative that diverts attention from the real causes of South Africa’s economic challenges.

Speaking at a Thabo Mbeki Foundation and AUDA-NEPAD Business Breakfast, Mr. Mbeki argued that undocumented African migrants are being unfairly blamed for unemployment and crime, while those responsible for the country’s deeper economic decline remain unchallenged.

His remarks come days after nearly 300 Ghanaians voluntarily returned home from South Africa amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment and concerns over the safety of foreign nationals following recent protests.

“We’ve got many problems here. The problem legitimately led to high levels of unemployment; that’s correct. High levels of crime, that’s correct. But the finger is being pointed at the wrong people,” he said.

Mr. Mbeki rejected claims that undocumented African migrants are responsible for South Africa’s unemployment crisis, insisting the issue is rooted in long-term structural economic decline.

“The levels of high unemployment in this country are not due to undocumented Africans. They are not,” he stressed.

He explained that South Africa’s economic difficulties predate the current immigration debate, pointing to shifts in growth trends over the years.

“We know the history in detail of how South Africa, from 1994 to 2002, 2008, 2009… growth rates reach 6% from 2009 onward, going in the opposite direction. It isn’t caused by undocumented immigrants,” he said.

According to him, those truly responsible for the economic downturn are escaping scrutiny because public attention is focused elsewhere.

“The people who cause that decline are laughing in a corner… because we’re pointing not at them, but somewhere else,” he noted.

Mbeki predicted that migration into South Africa would continue regardless of political pressure or anti-immigrant campaigns.

“The Africans will continue to come to South Africa. It doesn’t matter what you do,” he said.

He urged a more practical and informed approach to migration management, warning against scapegoating.

“You are not going to solve the problem of unemployment here by shouting against undocumented Africans and leaving the culprit,” he added.

In one of his strongest remarks, he accused critics of focusing on the wrong targets.

“You are busy chasing after ghosts, and you are leaving this devil,” he said.

Mbeki also called for renewed recognition of the historical and social ties between South Africans and other Africans, urging unity rather than division.