South Africa’s economic growth and future are inextricably tied to the rest of the continent, and the country is “nothing without Africa,” MTN Group Chairman Mcebisi Jonas declared in a sweeping and unsparing condemnation of ongoing xenophobic violence and anti-foreigner sentiment.
Delivering a deeply political eulogy at the funeral of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant Thokozani Damasane, the former South African Deputy Minister of Finance turned private-sector leader issued one of the most direct interventions by a major African business figure on the country’s immigration crisis. He forcefully pushed back against the narrative that removing foreign nationals would solve South Africa’s socioeconomic woes, attributing the crisis instead to state failure and cynical political exploitation.
“Foreigners can leave tomorrow – inequality will be with us,” Jonas told the congregation. “Foreigners will leave tomorrow – unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our police will remain corrupt. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our politicians will still be concerned with one thing: being elected and re-elected.”
He placed responsibility for the crisis squarely on the South African government, arguing that weak law enforcement and failing systems have created fertile ground for political manipulation. “The problem is the failure of the state. The state doesn’t manage immigration. It doesn’t manage its borders. It doesn’t enforce law enforcement. It doesn’t manage education. What are you expecting?” he asked.
