There are moments when a country's frustration reaches such a level that people begin to believe almost any solution is better than no solution. Looking at South Africa today, I fear it is approaching that point.
I do not write this to dismiss the frustrations of ordinary South Africans. On the contrary, I believe they have every right to demand better from their government. Decades after apartheid, too many people still live without secure employment, decent housing, reliable public services or confidence that tomorrow will be better than today.
Political freedom is precious. The end of apartheid transformed South Africa and inspired the world. But political liberation and economic justice are not the same thing. One does not automatically produce the other.
That, I believe, is one of South Africa's deepest challenges.
Today, however, much of the anger is being directed towards African migrants. Foreigners are accused of taking jobs, committing crime, overwhelming communities and preventing South Africans from prospering. These claims have become central to a growing political narrative.
Yet I find myself asking a different question.
If every foreigner left South Africa tomorrow, would corruption disappear? Would unemployment disappear? Would organised crime disappear? Would the electricity crisis end? Would inequality suddenly vanish?
I doubt it.
South Africa's problems are far older and far deeper than immigration alone.
For years, the country has struggled with corruption, uneven economic development, weak public services and declining public trust. Successive governments have faced serious criticism over governance, while allegations and findings of corruption involving senior political figures have further undermined confidence in public institutions.
These are structural problems.
They cannot be solved simply by removing migrants.
Migration has also been part of South Africa's development. Across Southern Africa, professionals have moved where opportunities existed. Zimbabwean teachers, academics, mechanics, nurses and engineers, among others, helped fill shortages because they possessed skills that employers needed. The same is true of professionals from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and elsewhere on the continent.
This is not to say that immigration should be unmanaged. Every sovereign country has the right to regulate its borders and determine who may live and work within them. Immigration policy matters.
But immigration policy belongs to government.
It should not be enforced through intimidation, threats or violence.
When citizens begin deciding who belongs and who does not, based on language, nationality or appearance, the rule of law is weakened rather than strengthened.
What troubles me most is that South Africa risks harming itself.
Businesses close.
Investors become nervous.
Tourists reconsider their plans.
Communities become divided.
Infrastructure is damaged and must be repaired using public money that could otherwise have been invested in schools, hospitals or economic development.
No country becomes stronger by destroying itself.
There is another historical irony that should not be forgotten.
During the struggle against apartheid, many African countries welcomed South African exiles, students and liberation activists. They offered refuge, education and solidarity at enormous cost to themselves. That shared history makes today's hostility towards fellow Africans particularly painful for many across the continent.
None of this means South Africans should remain silent about unemployment or crime.
They should demand action.
They should insist upon competent government.
They should expect effective policing, fair immigration systems and meaningful economic opportunities.
But they should also be careful not to mistake symptoms for causes.
Throughout history, societies experiencing hardship have often found it easier to blame those who are most visible than those who hold the greatest power. Foreigners become convenient explanations for failures whose origins lie much deeper.
South Africa deserves better than that.
It remains one of Africa's most important countries, with extraordinary human talent, natural resources and democratic institutions. It has the capacity to lead the continent economically as well as politically.
That future is still possible.
But it will not be achieved by turning neighbours into enemies.
The real challenge facing South Africa is not simply who crosses its borders.
It is whether its political leadership can build an economy that gives its own citizens hope while upholding the rule of law and the dignity of everyone who lives within it.
Anger is understandable.
Scapegoating is not a development strategy.
I sincerely hope South Africa finds a path that confronts its real problems rather than merely their most visible targets. The country has too much potential to allow frustration to consume the very future so many fought to achieve.
